BLACK SCREEN

MOOGLE (V.O)
My mother. What can I say about my
mother?

FADE IN: EXT. STAGE – DAY

Soundmen and roadies wander around, moving and setting up equipment. We PAN AROUND, till we see MOOGLE BROFLOSKI, in his late twenties, sitting in one of the many empty seats, right next to a REPORTER. Moogle leans back, his feet on the seat in front of him, a nostalgic look on his face.

MOOGLE
There's nobody in this world like Jess
Brofloski, and she'd be the first to tell you that.

The reporter smiles, writing things down

MOOGLE
She was loaded with charm, wit, looks, the

whole package.

REPORTER
But damaged?

MOOGLE
(nods)
Wounded. The most charming wounded

person you've ever met.

REPORTER
Wounded – how?

We have a shot of JESS BROFLOSKI, looking at herself in the mirror. She smiles politely at the mirror. She smiles again, showing teeth. She frowns, tries a smirky-look instead.

MOOGLE (V.O.)
By the times as much as anything. She wanted

a life bigger than she could ever have being a doctor's

wife with a million and a half kids.

Jess sighs. We cut back to Moog

MOOGLE
She's just too complex. She can be alarmingly simple,

then suddenly dark and complicated…

He looks over to the stage as Rocker walks on and whistles for his attention

ROCKSTEADY
We've got the pyro set up. Sort of. Check it out –

She jumps a bit as one of the lights explodes, sending sparks everywhere.

ROCKSTEADY

… that wasn't it. Um, we'll work on it.

Moog laughs, then continues his interview

MOOGLE
But she danced her way through it. Everybody smoked

too much, drank too much –

SHOT OF: Jess, reading an issue of Guitar World Magazine. Her face is gradually falling. The camera moves to show the article she's looking at: we see the words "MOOGLE BROFLOSKI" in huge, red letters and know that it's Moog's interview

MOOGLE (V.O.)

- fought too much. The women manipulated and the men

hid out, huddled together and clutching their bottles of beer,

waiting for the storm to pass.

We PAN across the page to a quote from the article, also written in red letters, "[My mother] could be alarmingly simple, then suddenly dark"

MOOGLE
And yet it seems like… we were mostly havin' fun.

REPORTER
When you say 'dark' –

Back to JESS as she reads

REPORTER (V.O.)
Do you mean angry, violent?

Jess frowns. CUT TO Moog

MOOGLE
No, no. … even though she knew how to throw a punch.

The reporter smiles, almost evilly. We CUT TO Jess

JESS

… oh no.

CUT TO Moog

MOOGLE
She wasn't afraid to hit us if we got out of line.

CUT TO Jess

JESS
What?!

CUT TO Moog

MOOGLE
In a lot of ways, I owe all my creativity to her. If I'd had

an easy childhood, I'd have nothing to write about.

CUT TO Jess. She finishes reading, lets out an angry scream and throws her cup of coffee at the wall, just as Tim walks in. It shatters about a foot away from his head; he doesn't even look up. Jess throws the magazine down and bawls dramatically, slamming her fist on the table. Tim pours himself some tea and stands behind her, calm as can be.

END SCENE

INT. MOOG'S APARTMENT – MORNING

He sits at the kitchen table with GEORGIA, his girlfriend, and reads the article

MOOGLE
"Son of a tap-dancing child abuser of a m-mother

and a distant, emotionally absent father…" oh shit!
(gets to his feet, pushing the chair back)
oh shit! Georgia! Shit! God, this is a disaster!

GEORGIA
This – it's a little harsh –

MOOGLE
God, I didn't mean it that way!

GEORGIA
(puts a hand on his shoulder)
Calm down, calm –

MOOGLE
(swats her hand away)
You don't understand – you know what, gimme a Xanax.

Gimme a Xanax, Georgia, please –
(puts his hand out)

GEORGIA
No no – TV appearances only, babe, and that's your rule.
(smacks his hand)

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD – MORNING

The PELMOBILE flies down the road, top down. Inside are SANGUINARY RED, SABRINA DAWKINS and MISTY AVERY, Sangy at the wheel and Sabrina riding shotgun (holding one of those mini-oxygen tanks). They've aged a bit, and are all wearing floopy hats and large sunglasses, just for the fun of it.

SABRINA
Well, all I can say is I hope that this is not a real

emergency, because I only brought one bottle

of vodka.

CUT TO the car pulling up to the BROFLOSKI HOUSE; they all hurry out of the car and run up to the door.

MISTY
Jess! We're here!

Misty tries to help Sabrina with her tank. Sabrina smacks her hand away, agitated

SABRINA
I've got it, I got it!

INT. BROFLOSKI KITCHEN – MORNING

Misty is mixing an Open Grave. Jess sits, sobbing exaggeratedly at the table

JESS
That ungrateful brat! Who would have thought

he'd be the one to try and do me in!

Sabrina takes the drink and hands it to her, patting her on the back. Jess blows her nose

SABRINA
Here, hon. Take a swallow.

Jess does so.

JESS

Needs Tobasco.

Sabrina takes it back and gives it to Misty, with a subtle eyeroll. Jess continues where she left off

JESS
How. How could he do this to me? Do you know

how long I was in labour with him?

SANGY
(scoffs)
Oh, two hours, not even.

JESS
Well, it felt longer.

Tim looks up from his book and chuckles. Sabrina sets the re-Tobascoed drink down in front of her and sits down

SABRINA
Remind me never to speak to Guitar World
Magazine.

SANGY
The writer probably trimmed all that up. You know

how the rest of the world makes us all out to be gratuitously

violent, morally deficient psychopaths.

MISTY

Yeah, you oughtta give Moog the benefit of the doubt. Just

call him.

JESS

You know Misty, ever since you stopped drinking you've

stopped thinking clearly. How can I possibly call someone

who no longer exists?

… gimme the phone.

CUT TO: MOOG'S APARTMENT. Moog is pacing the room; Georgia is following him. The PHONE RINGS. Moog looks up

MOOGLE
That's her. Do not pick up the phone. Please don't

pick up the phone – hey! Georgia, don't pick up the phone! Do not –

Georgia, don't. Don't do it.

Georgia shakes her head and picks up the phone. Moog picks up a butter knife and waves it in a mildly-threatening manner

GEORGIA
Hello?

CUT TO Jess; she's smiling sweetly

JESS

Hello, Georgia!

CUT TO Moog and Georgia. Moog is making Various Angry Gestures.

GEORGIA
Hey Jess! How are you?

JESS (on phone)

Just lovely, thank you for asking. Is he there?

Georgia starts to hand the phone to Moog.

MOOGLE
(whispershouts)
Why, Georgia, why?!

GEORGIA
She's fine. Just talk to her.

Moog sighs, puts the knife down and takes the phone.

MOOGLE
(takes a deep breath)
Mom?

CUT TO Jess, who immediately screams and begins banging the phone against the table. Sabrina and Sangy both reach to grab the phone from her

JESS

Give it to me! Give it here!

SABRINA
Moog - Moog, she'll have to call you back!

They wrench it out of her hands; Jess screams more

JESS

TELL HER HE'S DEAD! HE'S DEAD TO ME!

CUT TO Moog, shaking his head with an incredulous look on his face. We hear Jess screaming on the other line.

GEORGIA
… what did she say?

Moog keeps shaking his head. He waves his hand. He makes more Incredulous Gestures. Then he starts slamming the phone against the counter, just like his mom. Georgia jumps up to grab it from him

MOOGLE
I am sick and tired of her tantrums and her drunken

rages and -
(gets the phone yanked from his hand, shouts at it)
I HEARD THE ICE IN THE GLASS CLINKING MOM.
SOUNDS OF MY HAPPY CHILDHOOD!

Georgia flails, shuts the phone off, flails some more

GEORGIA
Why do you have to let her get to you like this?! What's

wrong with a nice, simple
(puts the phone to her ear and pretends to talk into it)
'Hi, mum. How are you? Uh-huh, uh-huh, love you too,

gotta fly, see you later.'
What's wrong with that?!

MOOGLE
In the real world, of normal people, you would be right! But
Jessica Brofloski –

GEORGIA
Who is a grown woman!

MOOGLE

- has never gotten over anything in her booze-soaked, self-

centered, God-forsaken life!