Surfacey Physical Stuff

BUFFY VOICEOVER: 

Are you sure? 

Cut to Buffy's house, living room. Buffy sits on the coffee-table facing Tara, who sits on the sofa. 

TARA: 

I-I've double 

checked everything. 

(smiling) There's 

nothing wrong with You.

BUFFY: 

Then why can 

Spike hurt Me?

TARA: 

Well, I said that there was 

nothing wrong with you, 

but ... You ARE different. 

Shifting you out of ... 

f-f-from where you were ... 

funneling your essence 

back into your body ... 

i-it, it altered You on 

a basic molecular level. 

Probably just enough to 

confuse the sensors or 

whatever in Spike's chip. 

But it's all just

surfacey physical stuff. 

It wouldn't have any more 

effect than ... a bad sunburn. 

Buffy looks close to tears 

as she contemplates this. 

BUFFY: 

I didn't come 

back Wrong?

TARA: 

No, You're the same Buffy. 

(lightly) With a deep 

tropical cellular tan.

BUFFY: 

You must have 

missed something. 

Will you check again?

TARA: (concerned) 

Buffy, I-I promise, there's 

nothing wrong with you.

BUFFY: 

There has to be! 

This just can't be Me, 

it isn't Me. (starting to cry) 

Why do I feel like this? 

Why did I let Spike do 

all those things to Me?

TARA: 

You mean hit you. 

Buffy meets Tara's eyes, 

but only for a moment, then 

looks away. Tara frowns 

as she begins to get it. 

TARA: Oh. 

Longer shot of the two of them. 

Tara rubs her knees nervously. 

TARA: 

Oh, huh. Really.

BUFFY: 

He's everything I hate. 

He's everything that ... 

I'm supposed to be against. 

But the only time that 

I ever feel anything is when ... 

Don't tell anyone, please.

TARA: I won't.

BUFFY: (crying) 

The way they 

would Look at Me ...

I just couldn't...

TARA: 

I won't tell anyone. 

I wouldn't do that.

BUFFY: (whispers) 

Why can't I stop? 

Why do I keep letting him in?

TARA: (concerned) 

Do you love him? 

Buffy just stares at her tearfully. 

TARA: I-It's okay if you do. 

He's done a lot of good, and, 

And he does love you. A-and 

Buffy, it's okay if you don't. 

You're going through 

a really hard time, 

and you're...

BUFFY: (still tearful) 

What? Using him? 

What's okay about that?

TARA: 

It's not that simple.

BUFFY: It is! It's Wrong. 

I'm Wrong. Tell me that 

I'm Wrong, please... 

Buffy starts to cry for real now. 

BUFFY: 

Please don't forgive me, please... (sobbing) 

Please don't... 

She slides off the table onto the floor, 

kneeling, putting her head in Tara's lap. 

Tara looks uncertain, puts her hands 

comfortingly on Buffy's head. 

BUFFY: (sobbing, muffled) 

Please don't Forgive Me... 

Tara strokes her hair gently 

as she continues crying.

Blackout.

Executive Producers: Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon.

THE END

James

The WORST Insults Thrown At James In Derry Girls! | Channel 4

The Zeppo :

Essayist Emily (last name not given) 

of the site InsectReflection.com 

compares Jack O'Toole and Xander and 

their respective views of masculinity:

Even undead, he's still more schoolyard bully 

than horrific monster, but that makes him 

a more direct danger to Xander, as 

he can impose emasculation 

directly onto him. 

This emasculation is coded homo-erotically, 

in an Ancient-Greece sense. 

O'Toole threatens to "take" Xander, 

grabs him from behind, holds up 

a penetrative object and asks him 

where he "wants it". 

Xander's immediate insistence that 

he and Jack were "rasslin' —

….but not in a gay way" stems from 

his intertwined fear of emasculation 

and homosexuality. ... 

This whole episode is an exercise in 

"be careful what you wish for", in which Xander achieves 

successful masculinity, and has a terrible time because of it.

Theresa Basile compares him with the brave hobbit 

Sam in The Lord of the Rings and writes, 

"He’s a would-be 'man's man' – 

obsessed with being manly – 

whose only close friends are women. 

He's both a perpetrator and victim of 

sexual assault and/or violation of consent. 

He's both attracted to and 

intimidated by strong women. 

He jokes about objectifying women 

and viewing sex as some sort of game, 

but in more intimate moments, seems 

to value romance and real connection. 

He's a willing participant 

in The Patriarchy and also 

a victim of it."

Cultural references

InsectReflection.com notes that the earlier episode 

"'Helpless' directly compared Buffy to Superman – 

a comparison that has been made before since 

'Never Kill a Boy on the First Date' – and 

'The Zeppo' follows up on that by comparing Xander 

to Jimmy Olsen,' Superman's sidekick. 

He has accepted Buffy's role as Hero, but is struggling 

to find his own role within the same genre structure."

Continuity

Buffy's crinkly, crimped hair signals that the episode 

contains characters who are different than usual, 

a little "off" or under a spell. 

See, for example, "Something Blue," "This Year's Girl," 

"Who Are You?," "Superstar," and 

"Where the Wild Things Are."

Reception and influence

Vox ranked it at #34 of the 144 Buffy episodes, writing that "this episode, which sees him sidelined by his friends as they try to stop yet another impending apocalypse, is truly Xander-centric: Isolated from the gang, he falls in with a bad (read: dead) crowd, has a, uh, romantic encounter with Faith, and eventually averts an apocalypse of his own. ... But the episode reminds us that he charges into battle beside his friends time and again not because he’s gifted, or tasked by some higher power, but because he chooses to. Which is, in some ways, even more noble."

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote that "The Zeppo" had become a favorite episode of his, saying, "What I loved about 'The Zeppo' is how Xander's feelings of abandonment pervade the structure of the episode, which is filled with moments that are (intentionally) dramatically unsatisfying." 

In Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 best Whedonverse episodes—including episodes from Buffy, as well as Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse—"The Zeppo" placed at No. 23. TV Squad's Keith McDuffee listed "The Zeppo" as the fifth best episode of the series. The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup in a Series.

Theresa Basile calls it an overrated episode, saying, 

"This is the boy who brought Buffy 

back to life in 'Prophecy Girl,' 

helped her save Willow/Cordelia/Giles/Jenny 

in 'When She Was Bad,' 

constantly patrolled with her throughout season two, 

pulled Cordelia out of a fire, and rescued Giles 

in 'Becoming Part 2,' all without the aid 

of supernatural powers – 

and all of a sudden, he’s a useless drain 

on the Scooby gang

 whom they need to protect? 

They sacrifice character for the sake of a fairly weak parody that 

doesn’t actually become funny until the final act."

On the other hand, she liked "the zombie frat boys who 

enjoy Walker, Texas Ranger, because that is some 

inspired silliness right there."

InsectReflection.com notes, "This episode is quietly a turning point for Xander's character. More than that, it’s quietly one of the best and most unique episodes in the series. 

... This is, in fact, an episode 

of Xander The Zombie Fighter, 

inside which occurs an episode 

of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

The episode has proved influential on later television writers. 

In his "Production Notes: Doodles in the Margins of Time", 

Doctor Who executive producer Russell T Davies said that he was inspired by "The Zeppo", along with the 

Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Lower Decks", 

when writing the 2006 "Doctor-lite" episode 

"Love & Monsters", which started an annual tradition 

for an episode with little involvement of the lead cast. 

Joss Whedon himself cites it as influential 

to his later series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Frank X. Cross

When I work late, You work late

"I got into Broadcasting 

because I Like to Give.

....sometimes, I've found 

myself hurting -- from 

GIVING Too Much; 

and I'd say "Stop it --!"

(Frank glances down at the Industry Award 

he has been summoned to accept in the presence 

of his colleagues and professional peers as recognition 

of his achievements in the course of a career spent 

in the service of Television Broadcast Media, 

as one of its youngest and brightest 

rising-star Corporate Executives —)

.....I'm always 

gonna cherish this --

......and All of You."

(… leaving immediately he promptly then, forgets 

about it completely and loses it forever by leaving it 

on the backseat of the Taxi he rode back across town in, 

in order to get back to work, and keep the time in 

his afternoon spent out of the office  below 

the two-hour limit he set for  himself — C’est La Vie. )

“There are Three Ways

to Learn Psychology --

Read Greek Myths,

Read Carl Jung, or 

WATCH — 

Watching is Best.”

The Ghost :

And You spent the next 15 Years,

sittin’ on yer ass, 

watching  Television.

Frank X. Cross : 

Check The Records, chump — 

I did some stuff  :

I was a baseball player — 

One Year, 

I hit The Home Run that 

won The Big Game.

The Ghost : 

-- That was The Kid on 

The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.

[ Frank winces in pain. ]

Joss Whedon interviewed by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo

"We were talking about Work Ethic --

Because Everyone in comparison to 

your output, Joss, and your Work Ethic, 

would appear to be slack and lazy --

Because, y'know, people work very hard, 

in Life, and they get their pay --

But you seem to be working, like, 

a hundred times harder 

than anybody else --

J.W. :

"Well, part of that is Smoke and Mirrors, I think, 

but part of it is that I do Love The Work,

and also, I DO Have A Problem,

A Serious Mental Problem :

It's Workaholism, and it's not fun, 

I Don't Do Anything Else --

Other People Have Lives,

and, They're Nice to Their Friends,

and They do all sorts of things 

that I forget to do in The Morning

(and that also includes Basic Hygiene, 

but let's not talk about that....) 

I mean, none of my schoolteachers could've

told you, that this was going to happen 

(except perhaps my Film Professor) --

It wasn't until I began studying and making Film, and Television, that I discovered that 

That was Why I am Here,

and that was really 

The Only Reason --

So, The Story is -- correct me if I am wrong --

That you had finished the filming for Avengers, 

and you were supposed to have some time off --

like, Time-Off, go away with Your Wife, that kind of thing --

Time Off --

But instead of doing that, in the 2 weeks you actually had, between film and editing, Post-Production and whatever, you actually

made another movie --

Which is 'Much Ado About Nothing'.

Is that actually True...?

Yes -- 

It was, in fact, 

My Wife's idea....

 

The Lord of the Dance

Rev. - The Lord of the Dance

Angel and Lorne are hitching a ride on the back 

of one of the pasty faced villager's donkey carts. 

They jump off as the cart passes in front 

of the dwelling of Lorne's Family. 

Lorne : 

Boy. I'd give my left horn 

to not have to do this.

We see a group of Lorne's relatives, apparently engaged 

in some kind of horse play, in front of their dwelling. 

Lorne : 

Hi-de-ho!

The big figure in the middle of the gathering 

turns around to look towards them. 

Unlike the other demons of Lorne's kind 

we've seen so far, this one sports 

a full beard in addition to the 

usual attributes of his race. 

Lorne : 

Guess who's back.

Bearded-Demon : 

Krevlorneswath? 

Can it be True? 

I've often prayed that 

I might look again 

upon your face.

Lorne: 

Well, you're in luck then.

The bearded demon spits 

in Lorne's face. 

Bearded-Demon : 

You have shamed Our Clan 

and betrayed your kind.

Lorne dabs at the spit with a handkerchief. 

Lorne : 

Thanks, Mom.

Angel's head snaps up 

and he mouths 'Mom?' 

Mom : 

Each morning before I feed I go out into the hills 

where the ground is thorny and parched, 

beat my breast and curse the loins that 

gave birth to such a cretinous boy-child!

Lorne (spreading his hands) : 

My Mother.

Mom : 

Your Father was right. 

We ate the wrong son.

Lorne : 

Well, enough of this sentimental reminiscing. 

Just a couple of quick questions, then I'll skeddadle. 

You remember back around five years ago 

when I first disappeared - Did you 

notice anything - odd?

Mom: 

We noticed feasting and celebrations. 

Your Brother Numfar Did the Dance of Joy 

for three moons --

Numfar! Do the 

Dance of Joy.

Numfar (who is, btw played by none other 

but Joss Whedon himself) starts some 

weird dance routine, which includes some kicks and hops 

as well as tapping himself repeatedly on the head. 

Lorne: 

Actually what I meant was more along the lines of 

a strange flashing, kind of a weird pulsating... 

(aside to Angel) You remember when I said 

We Didn't have Music in My World? 

Wish I could say the same 

about The Dancing. 

(Back to his mom) …lights. Really you couldn't 

have missed it. Big, bendy, swirly...

Mom : 

No longer Do the Dance 

of Joy, Numfar!

Lorne: "Nothing like that at all then." 

Mom: "Now take your cow and get off my lawn!" 

Landok: "That is no cow." 

Landok pushed Lorne rudely out of the way and claps Angel on the shoulder. 

Landok: "My friend! It is good to see you again. I would have perished in your strange world were it not for your bravery." 

Angel shifts on his feet and throws a look over at Lorne. 

Mom: "You know Krevlorneswath's cow?" 

Landok: "He's Angel! The brave and noble drokken k*ller." 

Angel: "Just Angel is really..." 

Landok: "He is as valiant and courageous a warrior as I have ever known." 

Mom: "Then he shall be welcome in our home and we shall will him. (Lorne's mouth drops open) Numfar! Do the dance of honor." 

Numfar launches into another series of leaps and gestures, including the bunny-hop. 

Lorne: "Landok, hi. Say, the drokken k*ller and I have a few itty-bitty portal queries and then we'll..." 

Two relatives come up and pull Angel's coat off. 

Landok: "We shall adorn my gallant friend in raiments befitting a warrior, that our neighbors may know of his valor." 

Angel watching them take his coat into the house: "Uh, guys - no wire hanger because that's leather!" 

Two other are dropping a necklace around his neck and drape an elaborate cape over his shoulders. 

Angel: "Oh. Guys, hey, - all this isn't really... (Another relative holds a mirror up in front of him) Nice! He-hey!" 

Looks over at Lorne while adjusting the cape. 

Landok: "Come! You will be our guest of honor at the village feast. There you will tell the tale of your bravery and courage against the vicious drokken." 

Landok leads a smiling Angel away. 

Angel: "Hey, now, about the hair - do you think that..." 

Lorne shakes his head and looks over at Numfar, still hopping around. 

Lorne: "Why, it's the homecoming I always dreamed of." 

Follows the others, leaving the dancing Numfar behind. 

Girl

BUFFY: 

You're the ones 

tried killing me. 

KNIGHT: 

No, we were fools, 

three alone. 

But if it takes a hundred men, 

we send a hundred men, and 

if it takes a thousand, 

we send a thousand. 

BUFFY: 

A thousand? 

KNIGHT: 

So long as you 

protect The Key, 

The Brotherhood 

will never stop 

until we destroy 

it and you. 

You are The Slayer, and 

we know what we must do. 

Now, be done with it. 

Kill us, and let 

legions follow. 

Buffy shoves the staff into his throat again, then tosses it aside, gets up and picks up the sword. The knight gets to his feet, and she puts the sword to his throat. He turns his head away waiting for the kill stroke. BUFFY: Go. The knight looks surprised, edges around her and leaves. Buffy stares at the sword. Cut to: Buffy entering the magic shop, still holding the sword. Pan across all the Watchers standing there, the four Slayerettes still sitting on the upper level, and Travers sitting at the table with a pile of papers spread out in front of him. Giles sits on the stairs leading up to the balcony. TRAVERS: You're late. BUFFY: Yeah. GILES: (sees the sword, gets up) Was, was there an attack? BUFFY: Yeah. TRAVERS: We can begin the review at last. We'll, uh, skip the more obvious questions... Buffy puts the sword down on his papers. BUFFY: There isn't gonna be a review. TRAVERS: Sorry? BUFFY: No review. No interrogation. No questions you know I can't answer. No hoops, no jumps - (Nigel starts to speak) and no interruptions. Nigel shuts up. Buffy looks around, begins to pace. 

BUFFY : 

See ... I've had a lot of people Talking at me the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. 

And I've finally figured out why. (looks Travers in the eye) Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them. 

Buffy moves back to the table, removing her coat. BUFFY: Glory ... came to my home today. GILES: (alarmed) Buffy, are you- BUFFY: (puts her coat on a chair) Just to talk. (resumes pacing) She told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. (stops, looks at Travers again) Only she didn't. She came into my home, and we talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why? (pauses) Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her. Buffy looks around, hands on her hips. She walks the floor, looking from one Watcher to the next as she talks. BUFFY: You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives some semblance of meaning. NIGEL: This is beyond insolence- Buffy grabs the sword from the table and throws it across the room in a single movement. It flies point-first into the wall directly in front of Nigel's nose. He jumps back looking shocked. BUFFY: (clears throat) I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions. XANDER: (whispers) That was excellent! Willow and Tara grin. BUFFY: You're Watchers. Without a Slayer, you're pretty much just watchin' Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have except maybe publish it in the "Everyone Thinks We're Insane-O's Home Journal." (Pauses, addresses Travers again) So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. (resumes pacing) You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory. The magic shop will remain open. Mr. Giles will stay here as my official Watcher, reinstated at full salary... GILES: (coughing) Retroactive. BUFFY: ...to be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I will continue my work with the help of my friends... WATCHER2: I, uh, I ... don't want a sword thrown at me, but, but, civilians, I - we're talking about children. BUFFY: (looks up at her friends on the balcony) We're talking about two very powerful witches and a thousand-year-old ex-demon. ANYA: Willow's a demon?! PHILIP: The boy? No power there. BUFFY: The boy has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit. WILLOW: (whispers to Xander) That's Riley-speak. XANDER: (whispers back, with a big grin) I've clocked field time. BUFFY: Now. (addresses the Watchers) You all may be very good at your jobs. The only way we're gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that. (turns back to Travers) But I want an answer right now from Quinton, 'cause I think he's understanding me. TRAVERS: (clears throat) Uh, your terms are acceptable. Giles smiles hugely. The Slayerettes burst into cheers and applause, but quickly stop, looking embarrassed. Buffy looks up at them, looks at Giles. She doesn't smile, but looks satisfied. She sits across from Travers. BUFFY: See? No biggie. TRAVERS: (nods) Uh, Rupert. GILES: Quinton? TRAVERS: When we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch behind the, uh, incense holders. GILES: Well, it's, it's not, you know, during working hours. TRAVERS: I think I could use a glass. GILES: Well, I suppose we could- (starts to move away) BUFFY: (gets up) Just a minute. (Giles stops) Glory. I wanna know. TRAVERS: 

Well, there's a lot to go through. BUFFY: 

Just tell me what kind of demon I'm fighting. 

TRAVERS: 

Well, that's the thing, you see.

Glory isn't a demon. 

BUFFY: 

What is she? 

TRAVERS: 

She's a God. 

BUFFY: 

(long pause, eyes widen) Oh. Blackout. Executive Producer: Joss Whedon.

You Call Him a Survivor — He’s Not.

The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity. 

Whedon pitched the show as :

“nine people looking into 

the blackness of space 

and seeing 

nine different things.”

Mal's been telling his story. 

Harken's not buying it.

HARKEN

Reavers?

MAL

That is what I said.

HARKEN

You can't imagine how many times men in my position hear that excuse. 

"Reavers did it."

MAL

It's The Truth.

HARKEN

You saw them, did you?

MAL

Wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if I had.

HARKEN 

No, of course not.

MAL

But I'll tell you who did. 

That poor bastard you took off my ship. 

He looked right into the face of it. 

Was made to stare.

HARKEN

"It"?

MAL

The Darkness. 

Kind of Darkness you can't 

even imagine. 

Blacker than the space it 

moves through.

HARKEN

Very poetic.

MAL

They made him watch. 

He probably tried to turn away, 

and they wouldn't let him. 

You call him A Survivor? 

He's not. 

A Man comes up against 

that kind of will, 

the only way to deal with it, 

I suspect — is to become it.

He's following the only course 

left to him. 

First, he'll try to make himself look like one. 

Cut on himself, desecrate his flesh and then, 

He'll start acting like one.

The Battle of Serenity Valley

Captain Malcolm Reynolds :

We're close to gone out here. 

We get a job, we got to make good. 

Pvt. Zoe Washburn :

Sir, I don't disagree 

on any particular point. 

It's just... 

In The Time of War, 

we would've never left 

A Man stranded. 

Captain Malcolm Reynolds :

Maybe that's why we lost. 

“ Production came to an end 

on Buffy, Season 3 [1999], 

and over my Summer vacation,

I was reading 

The Killer Angels, 

about 

The Survivors of Gettysburg, 

and it immediately made me think 

of The Millennium Falcon.

You know, 

as most things do.”

— Joss Whedon

EXT. SERENITY VALLEY - NIGHT

We come into the middle of a battle. 

Soldiers are yelling and running, gunfire everywhere, 

stuff blowing up but good.

Camera focuses on a soldier in the silhouette 

of an explosion, running and dodging fire. 

He hits the dirt for cover. 

We PUSH IN and see that it's Mal. 

His face is dirty and he's breathing hard.

Mal's up again and running 

to rejoin his company in a makeshift foxhole.

RADIO OPERATOR

Sergeant, Command says air support is holding 

till they can assess our status.

MAL

Our Status is that we need some gorram air support.

Now get back on line and tell 'em to get in here.

ZOE

That skiff is shredding us, sir.

RADIO OPERATOR

They won't move without 

A Lieutenant's authorization code, sir.

Angry, Mal walks over and rips off the badge 

from a dead Lieutenant's uniform 

and gives it to the Radio Operator.

MAL

Here, here's Your Code -- 

You're Lieutenant Baker.

Congratulations on your promotion. 

Now get me some air support!

(to Zoe)

Pull back, just enough to wedge 'em in here. 

Get your squad to High Ground, start picking 'em off.

ZOE

High ground is Death  with that skiff in the air.

MAL

That's Our Problem. 

Thanks for volunteering.

(to Bendis)

Bendis, give us some cover fire. 

We're going duck hunting.

The foxhole is rocked by a huge explosion. 

Mal's group of soldiers are looking 

pretty young and scared. 

Time for a morale boost:

MAL

Just focus!

(beat)

The Alliance said they were gonna 

waltz through Serenity Valley 

and we choked 'em with those words.

We've done The Impossible 

and that makes us mighty.

Just a little while longer, 

Our Angels are gonna be  soaring overhead 

raining fire on those arrogant cod,

so you hold!

(yelling)

You hold! Go!

His soldiers take up their positions 

to lay down cover fire while Mal and Zoe 

prepare to take down the skiff.

ZOE

Really think we can bring her down, sir?

MAL

Do you even need to ask?

Mal pulls a necklace out from under his shirt 

and kisses the cross.

MAL

Ready?

ZOE

Always.

Mal takes off. 

Zoe prepares to follow, 

sees that no one's covering Mal.

ZOE

Bendis? Bendis!

She sees Bendis huddled across 

from her, scared stiff.

ZOE (cont'd)

(angrily)

Rut it.

Zoe grunts and stands up, laying cover fire for Mal as he moves down the hill. 

After a moment, she follows Mal down The Hill, 

taking cover with him behind some boulders. 

Mal fires into the bushes, 

causing the soldier guarding a bigass gun 

to move out of his cover and return fire. 

Mal shoots him dead.

Mal activates the bigass gun's targeting system 

while Zoe covers him. 

Mal locks a target on the skiff that's been 

killing them in the battle and fires. 

He makes a direct hit and stands back 

from the bigass gun.

MAL

Yeah!

(manly grunt)

Then Mal realizes that the skiff is outta control... 

and headed right for him. Oh, shit. Mal starts running.

MAL

Zoe!

Mal and Zoe run as the skiff hits the ground and plows past them, exploding. Mal and Zoe hit the ground flat on their backs. Mal starts laughing. Zoe looks long-suffering.

ZOE

(entering foxhole, to Bendis)

Nice cover fire.

MAL

Did you see that? 

Green, what's our  status on...

Mal trails off as he realizes Green is pretty damn wounded, 

possibly deader than a dead thing.

MAL

Zoe.

She looks up. Mal points. 

Zoe moves to check Green. 

Mal moves to sit near Bendis.

MAL (cont'd)

Hey, listen to me. Bendis, look at me! 

Listen, we're holding this valley no matter what.

BENDIS

We're gonna die.

MAL

We're not gonna die. 

We can't die, Bendis.

You know why?

(beat)

Because we are so very, very pretty. 

We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? 

Look at that chiseled jaw. Huh? 

C'mon.

There's a roaring sound overhead. 

Zoe is listening on the radio.

MAL (cont'd)

If you won't listen to me, 

listen to that. 

Those are Our Angels comin' 

to blow The Alliance to The Hot Place.

(to Zoe)

Zoe, tell the 82nd --

ZOE (stunned)

They're Not Coming.

(beat)

Command says it's too hot. 

They're pulling out.

 

We're to lay down arms.

Mal's stunned, in denial. 

He looks at Bendis.

MAL

But what's...

Slowly, Mal stands and peeks over the top of the foxhole. 

His face is lit from their air support rising and retreating. 

Bendis stands next to him. 

Mal's in shock, watching 

His Last Hope pull out of The Fight.

Beside him, Bendis is hit by Enemy Fire 

and Falls. Mal doesn't notice.

PUSH IN on Mal's bloody face. 

On the disbelief.