The Prize Shooting Draft

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The Prize

Episode #38
Production #V0838

Story by: Michael Edens

Teleplay by: Julia Lewald

Directed by: Chris Graves

Shooting Draft - November 05, 1998
Pages 8, 12-12A, 14-16, 18-21 - November 09, 1998
Pages 2, 6-6A, 12, 15A-16, 20-21 - November 16, 1998

Pacific Island Pictures, LTD, All Rights Reserved © 1998

Cast List

Hercules
Iolaus - (ee-OH-lus)
Kora
Ares
Strife
Discord
Theseus (Non-speaking) *
Pythagoras (Non-speaking) *

Set List

Interiors:
Kora's Inn
Ares' Temple

Exteriors:
Kora's Inn

Teaser

FADE IN: INT. ARES' TEMPLE - DAY HERCULES is being violently hurled around the room by various energy blasts from a delighted ARES. Ares: (CACKLING) You having fun yet, Little Bro? 'Cause I sure am! Hercules: Stuff a sandle in it, Ares. STRIFE and DISCORD observe from the corner like two sports commentators amid the blasting. Hercules hurtles past them from an energy blast. Strife: That's gotta hurt! Discord: Ares is the master. Strife: Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark tomorrow! Hercules is tossed like a rag doll by energy blasts. Even Discord and Strife are getting nervous. Ares: I've wanted to do this since the day you were born! I just never dreamed it could be so... satisfying! Hercules: (growing fear) Ares, wait! Ares: Aw, but I'm hogging all the fun. Discord? Strife? Now's your chance. Take your best shot. Strife: (anxiously) Ya know, Unc, not that I'm ever one to criticize, but, um, are you sure you don't want to lighten up just a teensy little bit here? Ares: Lighten up? I have Hercules exactly where I want him! Discord gingerly steps forward. Discord: But what about the protection order? You destroy Hercules and Zeus'll send you straight to Tartarus! With a wicked sneer, Ares shoots out another blast that sends Hercules crashing into a wall. Ares: I don't need to worry about Daddy's protection order anymore. Discord and Strife stand back, agape. Ares opens his hand to reveal three crystal shards (three of the five pieces that make up THE CHRONOS STONE). They glow with a special energy. STRIFE/DISCORD: (GASP) Pieces of the Chronos Stone! Ares: They've already made me stronger than I've ever been! Once I get my hands on the other two, I'll be in charge! Ares takes special aim as he readies to destroy Hercules. (NOTE: with the Chronos Stone, you hold it (or a shard) in one hand, and can shoot energy bolts from EITHER hand. The stone amplifies a god's powers, so the energy is coming from the god's body, not from the stone.) Ares: In the meantime, Strife, no more 'Unk'. You can just call me King of the Gods! Hercules: (determed) Never! A horrific energy blast shoots out, straight at the helpless Hercules. Ares: I'm really going to enjoy this! In that split second before impact and annihilation, there's a tapping on Ares's shoulder Strife (O.S.): Unk? Hey, Unk! We're back... It's Strife -- and we're pulled out of what was Ares's delicious daydream, back to the "real world" inside Ares' temple. Strife stands there, holding out a small sack (Discord's with him). Ares spins on him, enraged that Strife interrupted the daydream. Strife: ...here's your double-double ambrosia, side of fries. Angry, Ares blasts him across the room (but neatly catches the sack as Strife drops it). Ares: You interrupted me! Ares controls himself. Ares: I was having the nicest daydream about my plans for the Chronos Stone. Discord shrugs. Discord: What plans? The Cronos Stone doesn't exist anymore. Ares produces a fancy locked box, which he gently opens, peering greedily inside. Ares: (not responding to her) Zeus used it to increase his own powers to defeat the Titans and become master of Olympus! Discord peers into the box. Two shiny shards are inside. Discord: (frowns) But then he 'broke it into five pieces and threw them to the ends of existence... Strife dusts himself off and joins them, finishing discord's thought, repeating the well-known legend. Strife: ...so no god could ever use the Cronos Stone to amplify his or her own power ever again.' When Strife reaches for a shard, Ares slaps his hand away. Ares: He didn't throw them far enough. Strife: (GASPS) Pieces of the Chronos Stone! Ares: It's taken me eight hundred years just to find the first two. To verify the power increase, Ares simply SNAPS his fingers. A mega-bolt blasts out, nearly taking off Strife's head, who's forced to duck and roll. Strife: Yikes! Ares: Zeus decreed that the pieces of the stone would be powerless unless a god received each one 'freely from the hands of a mortal'. Do you know how hard that is? Strife: Aw, come on, with your winning persnoality and good lod-fashioned people skills... Ares SNAPS his fingers at Strife, who's flipped over backwards by a large energy bolt. Ares: The third piece may be within my grasp. Strife: (MOANING) Oh, joy... Ares: It's at some dusty roadside inn. A prize in a mortal talent contest, of all things. Discord: But you just said if you grab it, then the thing won't work. And if you order a mortal to give it to you, it still won't work. Discord gives an involuntary shiver of disgust. Discord: You're willing to mix with mortals? Ares: Whatever it takes to get my hands on that crystal. Off Ares' sinister smile... INT. KORA'S INN At Kora's, Hercules and IOLAUS are helping get ready for the contest. There's a large prize basket on a table. Iolaus paws through it, to see if there's any good stuff. Near the basket there's a sign-in scroll. Hercules: People have sure donated a lot of stuff for the prize baskets. Iolaus takes out the Cronos Stone chunk and nonchalantly tosses it in his hands. Iolaus: Crystal scroll weight, cheese wheel, goat jerky, bath salts -- aha! Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! Dinars! Iolaus tosses the Stone chunk to Hercules and scoops out the dinars. Neither of them see that the chunk stone starts to glow in Herc's hand. Hercules, distracted by Iolaus, sets the chunk back in the basket (where it stops glowing) and grabs the loose dinars away from Iolaus. Hercules: Put those back! You want 'em so bad, then enter the contest. As they talk, KORA walks up. Iolaus: Like I'm going to get up in front of all these people. Hercules: You can sing! I've heard you! Iolaus: In the shower, maybe. And I'm not going up there naked for anything, believe me. Kora: Could one of you help me bring out a few more chairs? I don't know where all these people are coming from! Iolaus: I am so on it, Kora. (to Herc) She likes me. She really likes me. Iolaus and Kora head off. Hercules rearranges the items in the prize basket as three hooded FIGURES approach, reaching for the scroll. Hercules: Welcome to Kora's. You here for the talent contest? Ares: You read my mind. Hercules looks up at the voice. Under the hoods we see Strife, Discord, and Ares, all smiling sweetly. Hercules: Ares?! What are you doing here?! Ares: What you just said. We're here for the talent contest. Strife leans in. Strife: Three guesses who's gonna win? First two don't count. Ares raises his hand and we assume he's about to blow away Hercules. PUSH IN on Hercules's horrified face as, we: FADE OUT.

Act One

FADE IN: INT. KORA'S INN - CONTINUOUS Ares doesn't blow away Hercules; instead, Ares pushes back his hood, takes the scroll and signs the sign-in scroll. The talent contest is underway. On stage, CONTESTANT #1 is spinning plates on sticks. THESEUS and PYTHAGORAS are on stage as part of the musical back-up group (with 1 or 2 more players). Hercules: (incredulous) The God of War wants to enter a mortal talent contest? Ares: (jovial) What? You don't think I have enough talent? Hercules: Oh, you've got plenty. For starting wars. for ruining people's lives. For destroying whole countries. Ares: Stop You're embarrassing me. Strife jerks a thumb toward the state where the plate-spinner is still performing. Strife: This is what passes for art around here? Hercules: (challenging) Yeah. You got a problem with that, Strife? Hercules gets in Strife's face as Discord sends a small energy blast at the plate-spinner's plates, sending them crashing. (NOTE: it's a small blast, and it's not supposed to draw attention to itself. To everyone else in the crowd, it just looks like the plate-spinner lost control.) Hercules: All right! That's it! Whatever you're trying to start with me, we're going to finish it outside. Discord: Oh, like it's always about you. Hercules: (wary) It's not? Then why are you here? Ares: (all innocence) I'm here to enter the contest. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go warm up. Ares walks away, vocalizing to himself. Discord and Strife follow. Ares passes CONTESTANT #2, a musician whose lyre rests by her feet. Ares shoots a small energy blast at the lyre (unbeknownst to the musician). All but one of the strings snap. Contestant #2, unaware of the damage, picks up the lyre and heads up on stage. Hercules takes the sign-up scroll and moves off to kind Kora and Iolaus. They're off to one side, setting out more chairs. On stage, the hapless Contestant #2 plucks away at the single string. Hercules: Kora! We've got a big problem! Iolaus: No kidding. A talent contest with no talent. Kora: The crowd's starting to get ugly. Hercules: It's going to get worse. Look who just signed up. Hercules hands her the sign-up scroll. Iolaus looks over her shoulder. Kora: 'Ares.' That's kinda of cute. Like the God of War. Hercules: Not 'like'. 'Is.' As in, Ares is right here, right now. With Strife and Discord. Kora and Iolaus both react, concerned. Iolaus: (says the word) Gulp. Kora: This can't be good. We've got to get everyone out of here. Ares (O.S.): (gracious) I wouldn't hear of it! Kora, Iolaus and Hercules turn to see Ares, right behind them. Ares turns up the charm, but Kora isn't buying. Kora/Iolaus: Ares! Ares: Please. Why all the fuss? I just want to enter your little talent show. Kora: I don't believe you. Ares: Then just give me a few moments on that stage and you'll see that I mean business. Kora: (tense) I can't exactly kick out the God of War, now can I? Ares: Then it's sittled. Hercules pulls Ares aside. Hercules: You hurt one person here tonight and I will dedicate my life to making you miserable. Ares: Trust me, Little Brother, you already have. On the other side of the inn, Strife and Discord are conferring. On stage, Contestant #2 staggers off the stage. Contestant #3, a juggler, goes up. Discord: You know, Strife, about this Cronos Stone... I've been thinking -- Strife: (LAUGHS) You? Thinking? (then) Oh, you're serious. Glaring at him, she continues. Discord: We know Ares has talent to burn, but motals are, well, they're mortals. No accounting for taste. Strife: And your point would be...? Discord: What if we helped Ares really sell his number? You know, add a little sizzle. Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle. Strife: And do what? Give Ares a reason to blow us away? Discord: Work with me here. If we push him over the top, then he doesn't win... the three of us win. Strife: Earth to Discord. You really think Ares would share part of the Cronos Stone with us? Discord: If some mortal hands it to all three of us, then it'll work for all three of us, whether Ares likes it or not! Strife grins greedily -- then they strike a dance-couple pose. Hercules comes up behind them, grabs their shoulders and spins them around to face him. Hercules: Whether Ares likes what or not? Strife: Can't you knock first? Discord: Ew, ick. Half-god cooties! Hercules: What's going on? Discord: Zip it, Strife. Why tell him anything? Strife: You're right. Let's go limber up. Ares'll be on soon. They move past. On stage, Female Contestant #3 performs with "poi" balls on strings. Suddenly they catch fire. Startled, Contestant #3 drops them. Kora (O.S.)L Thank you: (forced) Let's here it for 'The Amazing Amarta!' Hercules glares across the room to Ares, who feigns innocence. Kora takes the stage as Contestant #3 steps down.