PRIME!
Pilot Episode
Created by: Lucas Roy Lehman
SEPTEMBER, 2021
EXT. SHENOWAH VALLEY PRISON YARD. DAY
700 hundred prisoners in blue uniforms hang out on the yard.
Some play soccer; a few play handball, jog, or do pushups.
MOST of the inmates are moving in closer to the razor-wire-topped-chain-link fence that separates the yard from the education buildings. They are enjoying an extremely rare live music concert.
On the narrow strip of asphalt between the other side of the fence and the education buildings, is a large flatbed truck.
A four-piece BAND “The Lost” is playing “Shenowah Valley Prison Song” on the elevated truck-bed stage packed tight with drum kit, guitars on stands, keyboards, monitors, amplifiers.
Two huge speakers on tripod ground poles frame the stage.
THE BAND:
MARIANNA (29, Puerto Rican/Jamaican) – Lead vocals, keyboards
WILL (36, Irish/Jewish) – Lead vocals, guitars, harmonica, sax
MARCO (34, Filipino/African American) – Bass, vocals
VENUS (Will’s twin sister) – Drums, vocals
It’s the last song and several inmates closest to the fence are mouthing the words along with Will.
![](<audio controls src="https://www.lucasroylehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SVP6.4.20-mix.mp3"></audio>)
WILL
(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Venus and Marco lock down the rhythm like a freight train and Will solos on guitar.
On the ground next to the truck-bed stage, an OLDER MAN reaches up and taps Marianna on the leg. She bends down to listen to him while still vamping on the keyboards with one hand.
We can’t hear what he’s saying but we see him tease her, fanning out 5 crisp $100 bills.
Her gesture says “You’re on!” as she—more boldly than he expects—snatches the cash from his hand and slides it into her pocket.
In an instant the baseball cap is gone, her hair is shaken out of its ponytail, and she’s tossed off the long sleeve shirt to reveal a tight black t-shirt. She grabs the mike out of the mike stand.
Will winds down his guitar solo, his face flashing “WTF?” as Marianna upstages him and takes over lead vocal.
MARIANNA
And with imagination…
I still find inspiration inside!
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Marianna whips up the crowd, and the energy is roiling higher and higher, the mass of men moving with the music, many of them now singing…
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Simultaneously, gunshots ring out and the alarm goes off and all the inmates hit the ground.
POV from the yard: slow motion of the band through the fence as Venus and Marco crash to a stop. Marianna ducks down, and all is eerily silent except for the alarm and Will’s guitar. He continues playing stunned for a few unconscious strums as the camera zooms into the sound hole of his acoustic guitar.
DARK SCREEN in the blackness of the sound hole, alarm gone now and only the sound of Will strumming the “Shenowah Valley Prison” riff. Then, over the blackness:
THREE MONTHS EARLIER.
INT. MARCO’S LIVING ROOM. DAY
The camera zooms out of Will’s guitar, seamlessly still playing the same “Shenowah Valley Prison” guitar riff, only now Will is sitting on the couch in Marco’s house, in Santa Cruz, California.
Next to the Foggy Botanicals paraphernalia on the coffee table, a mélange of concert swag—CDs, T-shirts, posters promoting “The Lost.” Marco reads over the tour schedule.
MARCO
Santa Cruz. Oakland. Sonoma. Portland.
Wow, I’m kinda jealous you didn’t ask me to play bass on the tour…
WILL
(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
Corvallis. Eugene. Vancouver!?!
WILL
I wish! Vancouver, Washington.(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
Oh, shit, you’re not gonna stop are you?
WILL
You know how I write songs.
MARCO
Fuck me. Over and over and over and over.
WILL
(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
That’s all you’ve got…
WILL
Yep.(happily, sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
Can you at least go to the E? Give me a break from my life sentence in A?
Will gives him four exaggerated measures of E and then he’s back to the A.
WILL
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
Will! Don’t make me regret letting you stay here for a week!(shouting, not singing)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doing time!
WILL
Exactly! Feel it brother!(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Marco looks over the tour sheet again and Will continues to sing and play, occasionally giving him four measures of E.
MARCO
Ann Arbor. Northampton. Asheville. Will, this is an impressive tour! But who’s this Clayton guy? Why didn’t you ask me to play bass?
WILL
Because I knew… Because I thought… you’d say no…?
MARCO
Oh, I totally would’ve said no.
WILL
Fuck you.
MARCO
Dude, I got 6 employees now. Foggy B’s a two million dollar enterprise.
He gestures grandly to signify the immensity of his responsibility.
MARCO
I mean, paying the nut on this killer house. Wesley’s percentage of Foggy… No way I could leave for 3 months… Or want to, really, I’m mean, the road’s a grind…
WILL
Yeah, yeah.(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
MARCO
I just didn’t realize what a great bunch of shows you lined up this time! And how exactly did you get a gig at Shenowah Valley Prison, South Carolina?
WILL
If I told ya I’d have to kill ya.(sings)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Marco suddenly grabs the neck of Will’s guitar, covering the strings.
MARCO
I need you to stop or I will rape you in your cell tonight.
Will looks at him, not fully comprehending what he’s done wrong.
Will puts the guitar down and picks up the latest upscale THC delivery device, Foggy Botanicals marijuana leaf logo featured prominently.
WILL
Fog it down, bro.
Will takes a hit and then Marco takes a hit.
WILL
This is amazing, Marco. Macadamia/Espresso? How do you do it?
MARCO
You know Wesley’s the Foggy genius. I’m just a businessman.
WILL
(sings, a cappella)
You’re my good, good, good, good, good, good humor man.
MARCO
(smiles a little)
Hmm.(frowns again)
When’s Marianna getting in to the Cruz?CUT TO:
SEVEN YEARS EARLIER
EXT. ICY DRIVEWAY. DAY.
Wearing inappropriate footwear, Marianna makes her way precariously down the driveway, shouldering a bulky dufflebag and pulling a small roller suitcase behind her.
Her feet slip out from under her and she goes down hard on her tailbone, and then bonks her head on the pavement. She doesn’t quite have a broken tailbone, and she doesn’t quite have a concussion.
Eventually, she rolls over onto her side and moans, then tries to get up but realizes she’s not quite ready, and lies down again on her back.
In the process of falling, sliding, and rolling, her head has come closer to the edge of the carport, where an old Mazda Miata convertible resides, under a dirty car cover, covered in leaves. From this unusual vantage point she sees a hide-a-key taped under the bumper.
CUT TO:
EXT. NEW YORK STATE HIGHWAY. DAY.
An old blue Miata with windows partially steamed up, Marianna behind the wheel. It’s a stone cold gray day with a few brown snow piles re-icing over.
INT. MIATA.
MARIANNA
(sings, a cappella)
(emotionally unsteady at first)
I’m on the road
My wheels are turning
The trail’s been blazed it’s been paved and lined
Still I’ve got my soul and my fire burning…
The sound of the band slowly comes up and the tempo builds behind her.
MARIANNA
I will fly the highway till I see the signs!(confidently now)
![](<audio controls src="https://www.lucasroylehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Prime512.20-mix.mp3"></audio>)
I’m gonna make my time
Come into my prime
I’m gonna shake and rhyme
And celebrate my way!
I’m gonna dance and sing
I don’t need anything
Let what the spirit brings
Illuminate my way!
Marianna sings the second verse…
MARIANNA
I loved a boy…I wasn’t trying
But my fear he’d leave pushed him straight away
…And we see a montage:
Marianna discovering her BOYFRIEND fucking her BESTFRIEND…
MARIANNA
He and my old best friend, well, you know who’s cryin’
Marianna, crying, looking over bus schedules on her phone and quickly packing up her things…
MARIANNA
Freedom has its price — I paid in full today!
Marianna, taking the car cover off and anxiously cranking the old, cold now ex-boyfriend’s Miata.
The Miata starts with a cough.
INT. CAR. HIGHWAY.
MARIANNA
But if I dance and sing I won’t need anything
Let what the spirit brings illuminate my way!
I’m gonna make my time, come into my Prime!
I’m gonna shake and rhyme and celebrate my way!
Continuing montage of Marianna’s experiences and scenery driving across the country interspersed with her singing in the car.
MARIANNA
From all the cheap motels across America
The trucker’s tires howl down the interstate
Then one night, oh my god, it was a miracle
A lightness fills me as I meditate
The Rocky Mountains, are calling me up high!
I can change my name, change my attitude
Forgive the anger and forget the pain
Truly cultivate a sense of gratitude
And turn my loss into tomorrow’s gain
I’m gonna make my time, come into my prime
I’m gonna shake and rhyme until I fade away
I’m gonna dance and sing, I don’t need anything
Take what the spirit brings until I fade away
The song ends and after a silent four count — just the sound of the engine and the road — the “Prime Reprise” 5/1 groove comes back as the background sound of the journey on the road. As the scenery goes by, Marianna occasionally sings out randomly — “I’m gonna make my time!” — her voice riffing over the groove — “Gonna make my time come into my prime, yeah!” — inflating her courage with her words, different moods at different times over the different scenery, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying.
EXT. GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE.
Marianna takes a selfie and texts it to MAMI.
INT. MIATA.
Marianna’s got the top down now, it’s a picture perfect sunny day as she drives down the coast Highway 1… She passes a sign that says Santa Cruz County line.
MARIANNA
I’m gonna make my time, come into my primeI’m gonna shake and rhyme until I fade away…
Music ends and it’s just the sun and the ocean and her hair in the wind and the sound of her wheels on the road and the complaint of the car engine, which is running noticeably rougher.
Marianna starts to become aware that something doesn’t sound right.
MARIANNA
Santa Cruz…Santa Cruz… maybe I should stop in Santa Croooze…
CUT TO:
INT. MARCO’S LIVING ROOM. MORNING. (2021)
Same tour swag and Foggy Botanicals paraphernalia, plus a few take-out containers, dirty plates and beer bottles.
Marco shuffles in with eyes half shut, wearing only boxer briefs, carrying a clipboard. He takes his electric bass off the stand in the corner. Barely audible, unplugged, he plays a bass-line riff for “Shenowah Valley Prison” and then comes up with a riff for the 4 measures of E.
MARCO
(sings under his breath)
I’m in Shenowah Valley Prison doin’ time!
Then to the E:
MARCO
And with imagination…
I still find inspiration inside!
Marco plays it again and Will now stands in the doorway.
WILL
(smiling now)
What was that?
MARCO
I got something for the other part, too.
WILL
Oh yeah, baby, we rollin’!
Will picks up his guitar, then high fives Marco before he starts playing the riff again.
Marco picks up the clipboard and sings:
MARCO
I can’t remember much of 1991
I made my living off the back end of a gun
I can’t forget a single thing since ‘93
That was the year that they incarcerated me
Will’s cellphone buzzes and he stops playing.
WILL
What the fuck? Nobody calls… Marianna?!
MARCO
This early? That can’t be good.
WILL
Hey! What’s going on?
MARIANNA
Looks like you’ll only be getting me at the airport tonight. Clayton’s not gonna make it.
WILL
What happened with your guy?
MARIANNA
DUI. He’s not my guy.
WILL
Clayton’s in jail?
MARIANNA
He’s out now. But it’s complicated. He might have to check into rehab to stay out.
WILL
Fuck. How long?
MARIANNA
Don’t know. Lawyers. Judges. You know. All that shit’s still up in the air.
WILL
Fuck!
MARIANNA
(beat)
What are you gonna do?
WILL
Well…we apparently need a bass player for Saturday night…(looking at Marco)
I think we both know what I have to do…
MARIANNA
That’s our only option? It’s gonna be tense…
WILL
Yeah. I’ll see you later. 9:40 at SJC, right?
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY 1 NEAR SANTA CRUZ. DAY. (2014)
Marianna hitchhikes a hundred yards up the road from where the blue Miata is parked, steam or smoke flowing out from under the hood.
A blue pickup truck with a camper shell, surfboard rack with surfboard, and snazzy STARLIGHT MAN appliance repair logo pulls over onto the shoulder.
Marianna comes to the window and sees Marco behind the wheel, wet hair, sunglasses, bare-chested, barefoot, and wearing only a beach towel.
MARCO
Need a ride?
MARIANNA
Uh… I can see your junk… so, kinda creepy?
MARCO
I was just surfing… so, uh, whatever? Is that your car on fire?
MARIANNA
No.
MARCO
Your last ride just let you out…here? With your dufflebag and your suitcase?
MARIANNA
It’s not my car.
MARCO
I see.(not seeing at all)
Well, normally I would offer to help a damsel in distress put her bags in the back of my truck… but since you insulted my attire…(flirting)
I think I might tell you to fuck off and call Uber… but… we both know there’s no cell phone coverage out here… So, you wanna keep waiting for someone less attractive to drive up?
Marianna opens the back hatch and throws her bags in the back.
MARIANNA
Starlight Man, you a cocky-ass motherfucker!
CUT TO:
INT. MARCO’S LIVING ROOM. MORNING. (2021)
MARCO
You know I’m going to say yes…
WILL
YES!
MARCO
But…the Marianna thing.(long pause)
Wow.(puts his hand on his chest)
I’m not really breathing right now.
WILL
When’s the last time you saw her?
MARCO
The day she left me… and went to LA with you… Remind me how I managed to forgive you?
WILL
Uh… Your incredibly kind and generous heart? The healing balm of time’s passage? My irresistible charm?
Marco ponders a little longer.
MARCO
OK.(takes a deep breath)
I can definitely do the Moe’s Alley gig here Saturday night. We’re all pros here so I’m sure we’ll somehow manage to rise to the occasion.
WILL
You are a total pro, Marco!
MARCO
(looking at the tour sheet)
Oakland and Sonoma…O-kay…may-be Portland the following week but after that…I really can’t…
WILL
That’s awesome, man! I totally get it and I SO appreciate you and I totally understand. We’ll have some great shows and either Clayton gets his shit together by then or I find another bass player.
MARCO
OK.
Marco extends his hand to shake on it but Will hugs Marco enthusiastically instead.
WILL
(sings)
Starlight Man, he fix it ‘cuz he can!
Will picks up his guitar and plays the intro to “Starlight Man.”
![](<audio controls src="https://www.lucasroylehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starlightintro.mp3"></audio>)
Then band comes in on the Starlight Man groove…
CUT TO:
INT. MARCO’S TRUCK. DAY. (2014)
The Starlight Man groove continues in the background as Marco and Marianna talk.
MARIANNA
So, Starlight Man…
MARCO
Marco.
MARIANNA
So, Marco, why Starlight Man?
MARCO
‘Cuz I do a lot of work at night.
MARIANNA
Yeah, I bet you do.
MARCO
Actually it was my Dad’s idea. Schedule calls at night so people don’t have to miss work to get their appliances fixed. He could even charge a little more when people didn’t lose money staying home from work.
MARIANNA
Brilliant!
MARCO
Yeah. Works great for me since I prefer surfing during the day…
MARIANNA
That’s cool. Do you still work together?
MARCO
He died when I was a senior in high school. I took over to help Mom and my little brother…
Long pause.
MARIANNA
(eventually)
My Dad went to jail when I was two years old…
Marco, after beat, realizing she hasn’t seen him since then…
MARCO
Oh, fuck…
Marianna nods wistfully. Then, after a few beats…
MARIANNA
So… did you ever receive any alternative forms of payment, Starlight Man?
Marco responds with a flirty look that reads, “I’m not saying, but what do you think?”
![](<audio controls src="https://www.lucasroylehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starlightiman.mp3"></audio>)
MARCO
(sings)
I’m the Starlight Man, I’m the Starlight ManI’m the Starlight Man I fix it ‘cuz I can
I’ll be right on time
Either rain or shine I will be on time
It’ll be sublime
‘Cuz I do it fast, and I do it right, I collect my cash
And I’ll be outta sight!
And life’s easy when I travel at the speed of light
You prob’ly think I’m crazy but I feel all right
Time goes slow and day turns to night
Montage of Marco as a kind of superhero character, going into people’s homes, flirting with MILF’s and fixing their washers and dryers and refrigerators, hands moving at lightning speed pulling out wrenches and screwdrivers from his tool belt holster, and then he’s off surfing through outer space like he’s riding a magic-carpet-surfboard…
MARCO
I’m the Starlight Man
Ain’t the handyman, I ain’t the candyman
I ain’t the Maytag man
But I’m the ice box man
I’m the back door man
I’ll be your good, good, good, good, good, good humor man
Cuz I do it fast, and I do it right, I collect my cash
And I’ll be outta sight!
And life’s easy when I travel at the speed of light
You prob’ly think I’m crazy but I feel all right
Time goes slow and day turns to night
“Starlight Man” groove continues as they drive.
MARCO
So what’s your story…
MARIANNA
Marianna.
MARCO
(with an aficionado flourish)
Yes, Marianna! How do you find yourself broke down on one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in America?
MARIANNA
I left New York on Sunday… Couldn’t pass up the chance to drive a convertible over the Golden Gate Bridge on my way to Hollywood.
MARCO
Kind of the long way to go, but I get it.(checking her out)
Acting? You got a good look.
MARIANNA
Singing. First thing I’ma do when I get there is audition for “America’s Got Talent” and become a star overnight.(beat)
Kinda cliché, right?
MARCO
Everything’s a cliché. What’s your plan now that you don’t have a car?
MARIANNA
Yeah, right? I didn’t have much of a plan to begin with.
(sings)
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose!
MARCO
Whoa! Girlfriend’s got some pipes!
Together they sing:
And life’s easy when I travel at the speed of light
You prob’ly think I’m crazy but I feel all right
Time goes slow and day turns to night
The song ends and they continue to drive.
MARIANNA
It’s SO beautiful here.
MARCO
Hell yeah! Fuck LA — Santa Cruz is the best! I mean, you got fresh air, you got the ancient redwoods meets some of the best waves in the world. It’s a mecca for the arts, dance, yoga… And live music?! Shit, for a town this size it’s amazing, every night you’ve got jazz, rock, hip hop, funk, folk, classical, death metal… Sure, the techie millionaires from over the hill are driving out the hippies and the stoners, but even they know the bullshit rat race isn’t what’s important in life. Silicon Valley is fucked up but LA’s a rat race on steroids. And LA without a car? That’s a death sentence.
MARIANNA
Charmer.
MARCO
Sorry. I get a little passionate sometimes.
(beat)
So, what is your plan, here? I gotta get home and shower and go make some money. Are you staying with me tonight?
MARIANNA
Dude, you still got no fucking pants on! How about you just drop me off at the fucking bus station?
Marco is chastened, a bit surprised and embarrassed by his misreading of the situation.
MARCO
OK, sure, sorry.
They continue in tense silence until he pulls into the bus station parking lot. Marianna gets out and goes around to the back to get her things while Mark writes 505 Escalona Drive on the back of a business card.
MARCO
Marianna, really, I’m sorry if I offended you… If you’re still in town there’s a party tonight… 505 Escalona Drive…my band is playing…
Marco reaches his hand out the window with the business card but she stomps off with her bags so he just Frisbees it in her general direction and drives away.
CUT TO:
INT. BUS STATION.
Marianna puts her bags in a locker and sits down heavily on a bench. She puts her head in her hands then pulls out her phone and dials MAMI. Call goes to voicemail.
MARIANNA
Hi Mami, I’m glad you liked the selfie I sent you from the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful drive today but my car broke down and now I’m stuck in Santa Cruz. Some guy just gave me a lift to the bus station and I’m not sure if he wanted to rescue me or rape me, I think rescue me but I totally got scared and over-reacted and now I’m sitting here at the bus station and I’m feeling alone and scared and I don’t know what to do and I feel really stupid and I don’t trust my own judgment. LA seemed like a good idea last week but now… I mean, I could take a bus to LA but then what? I’m sure it’s really expensive there and I’m already running out of money…
COMPUTER VOICEMAIL VOICE
If you are satisfied with your message press 1. To erase, press 2.
Marianna presses 2 and then plops her head back into her hands.
CUT TO:
INT. MARCO’S GARAGE. DAY (2021)
Will, Marco and Venus are set up for rehearsal with their instruments and amps and PA. Venus and Mark groove on a drums and bass jam while Will texts.
WILL
OK, now she needs a ride after all… Venus, can I borrow your car?
Venus shakes her head but tosses him her keys.
VENUS
Hey Junior, you understand if you weren’t my ONLY twin brother, I would not put my life on hold for this shit, right?
WILL
She’s not the one that needs to rehearse.
VENUS
Now you’re buying into her diva bullshit?!
Will almost responds further in Marianna’s defense, but instead chooses to let it drop.
WILL
I’ll be back in 20.
Will leaves.
MARCO
So why are you doing this?
VENUS
(sighs)
He’s got one last shot at living his dream, you know?
MARCO
It could very well turn out to be a nightmare…
VENUS
I know that. Even if it goes well, chances are it’s over for him. I mean, he’s all in here and the numbers don’t work…. But I want to be there to celebrate successes… And I want to be there if he crashes. You know how he gets… He scared the shit out me those two times… My heart can’t take that again.
MARCO
Ohhhhh… You’re doing this to keep an eye on him—for you. Right.
VENUS
He knows I’ve got his back. And the shows are going to be fucking fun! We’re playing a lot of epic clubs and festivals. And you know, Chantal’s been itching for us to have a baby so this feels like the last gasp of my youth, too.
MARCO
Ah, yes, clocks are ticking…
VENUS
What’s up with you and Danielle? Last summer she said you guys were trying…
MARCO
Yeah. We are… For a couple years, actually.
Two miscarriages… And she’ll be 39 this year, so…
VENUS
Isn’t she in Bali or something? I ran into her last month right before she was leaving…
MARCO
Yeah. She’s gone all summer leading yoga retreats.
It’s really hard right now.
VENUS
And now the ghost from Christmas past…
CUT TO:
EXT. 505 ESCALONA DRIVE. WESLEY’S HOUSE (MARCO’S FUTURE HOUSE) NIGHT. (2014)
Will, Marco, and the Lost Boys are setting up beside the pool. Marco tests his amp with a few measures of the bass-line riff from “Escalona Drive”. There are strings of party lights, tables with drinks and snacks. Aside from the host Wesley scurrying about, nobody has arrived at the party yet.
The DRUMMER carries a bass drum into the backyard from the driveway. Venus walks in slowly behind him.
VENUS
(to Will, annoyed)
I’m apparently not needed, after all.
WILL
Yeah, sorry.
VENUS
So glad I loaded my kit into my car…
WILL
I owe you one, V.
VENUS
(smiles)
You owe me more than one.
WILL
True dat. Do you want to maybe open with a couple of your acoustic tunes? You can borrow my guitar?
VENUS
Nice try.
Venus drifts over to the food table and eats a few chips and guacamole.
Marianna wanders into the pool area, looking out of place, confused. She comes over to the food table and eats a chip.
MARIANNA
Is the party over already?
VENUS
Ha! You must be new to these parts…
MARIANNA
It’s that obvious?
VENUS
Everyone in the Cruz knows Wesley Nathan’s parties start late and end late.
MARIANNA
Then what’s a hipster like you doing here?
VENUS
My brother was afraid the drummer was gonna flake and called me for back-up.
MARIANNA
Marco’s your brother?
VENUS
(laughs)
Will. The one that looks a bit more like me?
MARIANNA
Ha, right, stupid.
VENUS
You seem kinda nervous…(not unkindly)
And a little sweaty… Are you doing, OK?
MARIANNA
Yeah, no, not really. Well, it took me a lot longer to walk here than…
VENUS
You walked here? Where do you live?
MARIANNA
Rochester, New York. I mean, I didn’t walk here from Rochester. I actually don’t live there anymore.
VENUS
Are you high?
Marianna shakes her head.
VENUS
Do you want to get high?
MARIANNA
Actually, I think I need to eat something.
VENUS
(gesturing to the food table)
Have at it!
Marianna starts chowing down voraciously and Venus looks on, smiling, charmed by this alien creature. She pulls out a joint and lights it.
MARIANNA
It’s legal here now, right? That’s so cool.
VENUS
Only medicinal.(she takes a long drag)
I have a condition.
MARIANNA
Really? I’m so sorry!
VENUS
Yeah. I like to get high!
MARIANNA
Oh, shit, I think I have that too!
They both laugh. Venus passes her the joint and she takes a hit.
VENUS
One advantage getting here early is we can jump in the hot tub before it gets all skanky.
Venus takes Marianna’s hand and starts pulling her toward the hot tub.
MARIANNA
But I don’t have a swimsuit!
CUT TO:
INT. MARCO’S GARAGE. NIGHT. (2021)
Marianna, Will, Marco, and Venus are wrapping up rehearsal.
WILL
Maybe do one more and call it a night?
Marco, you feeling sufficiently relaxed?
MARCO
Relaxed? No, I’m not relaxed. I’m ready enough for the gig tomorrow night. There are a couple of changes on your newer tunes I want to go over again with you, but musically…(shrugs)
WILL
Cool. Venus? Marianna?
They shrug.
MARCO
I have just one thing I need to get off my chest before we finish tonight, and then I can let it go.
WILL
O-kay…
MARCO
Marianna, can I ask you a question?
MARIANNA
O-kay…
MARCO
I just can’t help wondering… What’s it like for you… Having fucked everybody in the band?
Marianna locks eyes with Marco and a range of emotions pass over everyone’s faces. Marianna holds the tension for several beats contemplating her answer.
MARIANNA
I’ve loved…I love you all…so…(big smile)
Pretty fucking great!
The tension is finally broken and they all laugh.
WILL
All right all right all right! Here we go. Prime Reprise. 1-2-3-4.
The band drops into the 5/1 groove and Marianna lets it roll for a few measures. Then she leads in the vocals:
![](<audio controls src="https://www.lucasroylehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Prime-reprise-9.3.18.mp3"></audio>)
MARIANNA
I’m gonna make my time!
WILL
I’m gonna make my time!
MARIANNA
I’m gonna make my time come into my prime!
MARCO
I’m gonna dance and sing!
VENUS
I’m gonna dance and sing!
MARIANNA
I’m gonna dance and sing take what the spirit brings!
WILL
Take what the spirit brings!
MARIANNA
When the morning comes, look in the mirror
See the life that’s blooming from the seeds I’ve sown
And through the joy and pain, I will see clearly
How the truth I’m seeking flowers here at home
ALL
I’m gonna make my time, come into my prime
I’m gonna make my time, come into my prime
I’m gonna make my time, come into my prime
I’m gonna shake and rhyme until I fade away
FADE OUT