Venom Script Details & Some HUGE Revelations!
Another script sharsies today, Venom Part 2! And this one also has some pretty interesting differences :o)
34 INT. JACK'S LAIR - DAY
Jack FROM BEHIND, seated before the "pile" of computers
heaped on the desk. He has SEVERAL keyboards, arranged
like a grand theatre organ, and a COMPUTER MOUSE he has
decorated crudely with markers like a Scarab Beetle. Major
BACH pipe organ music starts to kink ass in the b.g.
STUTTER CUT: Jack tears into new boxes of software with
titles like - "At Home on the Internet," HomePage Genie,"
"Building YOur Own Homepage."
EVEN FASTER: SLASHING the shrink-wrap with a bowie
knife...cardboard liners flying, manuals flipped open,
installations instructions pinned and taped everywhere,
SHIMMERING CD-ROM discs slammed into players.
Like the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Jack flings his arms
outward, ready to orchestrate his own WEB PAGE.
THE PAGE BUILDS - Blue, headlines in PROFILER "Roughfhouse"
font - "JACK'S VERY OWN WEB PAGE"... (and in smaller
letters) "KICK BACK WITH JACK ON LINE" - a VR
representation of his lair - a caricature of him with a
face based on the sketch of him from Ep. 6 "Modus
Operandi." He adds little weapons and past case memento
icons.
The ORGAN builds... Jack designs links to sub-pages: "New
Business," "Dead and Gone," "Real Good Idea to Try Out
Sometime," "Sam, Sam and More Sam."
JACK
Mi casa... su casa, folks. Let's play
open house... Cheese balls and bean
dip at www-dot-jackotrades-dot-com.
We hear the BEEPS, HISS, and connect TONE of a modem
connection. He's ON LINE. Jack's Web Page begins to animate.
*****************************************
The differences aren't too extensive, but I find the Phantom tone they originally intended rather interesting. There are some Phantomesque elements to Jack and his obsession with Samantha. It's interesting that Jack launches his page without difficulty in this version. So nothing shattering but still fun to see the original version :o)
*****************************************
This next section is the BIG scene where Jack and Sam are at Robin Poole's. There's a lot going on and some significant changes. So I'm putting it in a couple sections with commentary on each section. Hope people don't mind but this scene has some verrrry neat tidbits!
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
Sam wakes again, aching from the spider bite. She slowly
rises form the cot, and begins to inch her way across the
room, hands feeling in front of her.
SAM
Robin... are you here?
(beat)
Please... talk to me...
Her hand runs alongside a terrarium.
JACK
I wouldn't touch that one if I were
you... he's a nasty.
Sam WINCES in pain from the spider bite.
JACK
Don't worry... Doctor Jack gave you
antivenin.
Sam reacts to his voice, spinning around in a rush of
adrenaline. She strikes out at him, nearly knocking over
a terrarium. He GRABS her hand and steers her away.
SAM
What've you done to my eyes?
JACK
Just a little home-brew "washy wash."
I tried it myself and now
everything's crystal clear.
She bumps into a wire cage, recoiling from the feel of the
chicken wire. Something moves inside the cage.
JACK
Relax. It's not forever. Nothing is
forever. Those big baby blues
will be fine...
*****************************************
Very similar but a few majorly minor differences. Jack touches Sam to prevent her from harming herself which makes sense but wasn't in the show. And in this version he tells her that he tried the eyewash on himself first. It's very much the same but at the same time, Jack has a bit of a protective element, trying to keep her out of danger, letting her know that he tried the eyewash on himself before risking her. It's still ominous but the protective side in some ways I think would put Sam more off her game and make her more vulnerable IMO
*****************************************
Now, back to the scene and THE BIGGEST REVELATION YET!
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
A SHRIEK (Robin O.C.) pierces the room. Sam spins.
Disoriented. No vision.
SAM
Why me?
JACK
Easy. I liked you the first time I
saw you.
SAM
When was that?
JACK
Your fifteenth birthday.
SAM
I don't believe you. You were just
another case, Jack. You were just my
bad luck.
JACK
Are you absolutely certain?
He circles, smelling her hair. She spins trying to
sense his direction.
*****************************************
Could it be, we really have the answer at last!?! It could be a lie, but if he were going to lie I would think he would have chosen a birthday that had greater cultural or personal significance to her. Even in his moments of craziness, everything Jack tells Samantha has an element of truth to it. Like when he told her in Modus Operandi that she left her first love for him, while not true in the most literal sense, it was true in that she neglected her marriage and put Tom in danger in her pursuit of Jack. It still had truth to the statement even if Sam didn't wish to see it.
So I'm inclined to say that at least it's possible what Jack's saying here. And it even age wise is within the bounds of acceptable since they're anywhere from within a year or so of each other to a maximum of the 5.25 years difference that DC and AW are in real life. This notion has soooo much potential!!! Look for this one as a challenge here down the road someday :o)
Also, lurve the hair sniffing. This fits a man who is so desperately in love that just breathing her air sends shivers down his spine. I love that there's a vaguely sensual undercurrent.
*****************************************
Continuing onwards with the scene
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY CONTINUED
SAM
What do you want from me?
JACK
I just want you to appreciate me...
I deserve a little admiration, don't
you think?
SAM
The, why would you kill all those
people I barely knew?
Jack reaches forward as if to strike her cheek, but only
feels the air next to her face.
JACK
It was necessary.
SAM
Necessary... just like bringing me
here was necessary?
JACK
Nobody understands me like you
do... nobody.
SAM
You want to be close, is that it?
Then why are you keeping your
distance?
He tries again to touch her but can't. He suddenly turn
away. CAMERA follows him to:
*****************************************
Poor Jack! Sam denigrating all his offerings. If he didn't strike her at that moment, I think he truly never would harm her. But on a happier note, I found Sam's wording an interesting alternative to her "take my hand" from the final product. Her statement is more provoking and invites a great deal more than a touch of the hand. That was the end of that scene and all in all a great deal of impact on skew! *brief dreamy sigh and Jack pity before typing next section*
*****************************************
62 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
A HOODED FIGURE (Robin is tied up, huddled against a wall,
desperately struggling to escape her bonds.
JACK'S DOC MARTENS approach her. A boot delivers a swift
kick as he yanks off the hood. Nose to nose with Robin,
he RAGES at her.
JACK
Stop whining, you pathetic little
amateur. What do you want?
Jack pulls the gag out of her mouth.
ROBIN
Who are you?
JACK
I'm the person you'd like to be.
ROBIN
Why are you interfering?
JACK
Because you didn't think it through.
Robin
What the hell do you know about it?
He shoves the gag back in her mouth, tapes it.
JACK
Oh, put a shock in it, Robin. I'll
get back to you.
SLAMS the HOOD back around her face.
*****************************************
I'm a bit mixed on this part. I loved Jack being snarky and could have seen him engaging Robin like this before Sam was there. But what I thought him exposing his face to Robin, that seemed out of character and I don't think Jack would converse so extensively with her while his Samantha was awake and available to him. But still great dialogue. And I do really love how the scene contrasts how gentle and patient he is with Sam and how brutal and impatient he is with anyone else. So still SQUEE!
*****************************************
47 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
We HEAR the JAR of the cage and the WHIR of elevator
cables. As the elevator descends, Jack moves toward Sam.
SAM
People will find me.
JACK
This may be difficult for you to
accept, but nobody is even thinking
of you right now, except of course,
little old moi, mwah mwaaahh...
SAM
Game time is up, Jack. Why don't you
tell me what you want from me.
JACK (O.S.)
I want you to walk a mile in my shoes.
SAM'S POV - BLURRY
Jack's figure moves to her left. In her periphery she sees
A mouth; a cheek, an ear. She takes a step and knocks into
an aquarium, sending little waves cascading over the edge.
JACK (O.S.)
Careful, Bunny Love... fishies and
spiders and snakes, oh my...
*****************************************
A few cute and a few cheesy lines. Nothing major but I like how Jack is still a little protective and it's fun interaction. The next scene Jack is in is the one where Angel calls and there's virtually no difference from what we saw on the show.
*****************************************
So onto the scene were Jack and Sam part company. Which has a weird instance of redundant lines in the script which I dutifully will include. There are dates at the top of the pages which indicate the first time we hear Jack say the line is an earlier draft and it's a bit different.
74 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
CLOSE ON a black spider as Jack CRUSHES it with his foot.
Jack (O.S.)
Hate the competition.
ANGLE - SAM
Straining to see with her slowly returning vision. Now she
can make out the form of a SNAKE in an aquarium... and Jack's
approaching figure. She whips an arm out toward him.
JACK
It's almost over. When we meet
again, we'll both be on the same
team. Until then -- Samantha,
A SHOT goes off at the door downstairs. Jack notices.
JACK
Company's here, Samantha. When we
meet against, we'll both be on the same team.
*****************************************
So we have the line about Jack hating the competition in another location. And two version of the same parting speech. I sort of like the first better, or at least the end bit of Jack's "Until then-- Samantha."
*****************************************
With this script, Venom takes on a whole new life and gives us some potential insight into the depths of Jack and Samantha. If Jack really saw her at her 15th birthday then all the killings may have been for her even before she was on the case and true or not it's a FANTABULOUS plot bunny! I have to say I really love that Jack has a caring side in this and in THTJB as well. In some ways it makes his brutality as a killer that much worse because he's capable of being so vulnerable and caring.
Thank you once more to roman_romantic for such a wonderful gift!!
34 INT. JACK'S LAIR - DAY
Jack FROM BEHIND, seated before the "pile" of computers
heaped on the desk. He has SEVERAL keyboards, arranged
like a grand theatre organ, and a COMPUTER MOUSE he has
decorated crudely with markers like a Scarab Beetle. Major
BACH pipe organ music starts to kink ass in the b.g.
STUTTER CUT: Jack tears into new boxes of software with
titles like - "At Home on the Internet," HomePage Genie,"
"Building YOur Own Homepage."
EVEN FASTER: SLASHING the shrink-wrap with a bowie
knife...cardboard liners flying, manuals flipped open,
installations instructions pinned and taped everywhere,
SHIMMERING CD-ROM discs slammed into players.
Like the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Jack flings his arms
outward, ready to orchestrate his own WEB PAGE.
THE PAGE BUILDS - Blue, headlines in PROFILER "Roughfhouse"
font - "JACK'S VERY OWN WEB PAGE"... (and in smaller
letters) "KICK BACK WITH JACK ON LINE" - a VR
representation of his lair - a caricature of him with a
face based on the sketch of him from Ep. 6 "Modus
Operandi." He adds little weapons and past case memento
icons.
The ORGAN builds... Jack designs links to sub-pages: "New
Business," "Dead and Gone," "Real Good Idea to Try Out
Sometime," "Sam, Sam and More Sam."
JACK
Mi casa... su casa, folks. Let's play
open house... Cheese balls and bean
dip at www-dot-jackotrades-dot-com.
We hear the BEEPS, HISS, and connect TONE of a modem
connection. He's ON LINE. Jack's Web Page begins to animate.
*****************************************
The differences aren't too extensive, but I find the Phantom tone they originally intended rather interesting. There are some Phantomesque elements to Jack and his obsession with Samantha. It's interesting that Jack launches his page without difficulty in this version. So nothing shattering but still fun to see the original version :o)
*****************************************
This next section is the BIG scene where Jack and Sam are at Robin Poole's. There's a lot going on and some significant changes. So I'm putting it in a couple sections with commentary on each section. Hope people don't mind but this scene has some verrrry neat tidbits!
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
Sam wakes again, aching from the spider bite. She slowly
rises form the cot, and begins to inch her way across the
room, hands feeling in front of her.
SAM
Robin... are you here?
(beat)
Please... talk to me...
Her hand runs alongside a terrarium.
JACK
I wouldn't touch that one if I were
you... he's a nasty.
Sam WINCES in pain from the spider bite.
JACK
Don't worry... Doctor Jack gave you
antivenin.
Sam reacts to his voice, spinning around in a rush of
adrenaline. She strikes out at him, nearly knocking over
a terrarium. He GRABS her hand and steers her away.
SAM
What've you done to my eyes?
JACK
Just a little home-brew "washy wash."
I tried it myself and now
everything's crystal clear.
She bumps into a wire cage, recoiling from the feel of the
chicken wire. Something moves inside the cage.
JACK
Relax. It's not forever. Nothing is
forever. Those big baby blues
will be fine...
*****************************************
Very similar but a few majorly minor differences. Jack touches Sam to prevent her from harming herself which makes sense but wasn't in the show. And in this version he tells her that he tried the eyewash on himself first. It's very much the same but at the same time, Jack has a bit of a protective element, trying to keep her out of danger, letting her know that he tried the eyewash on himself before risking her. It's still ominous but the protective side in some ways I think would put Sam more off her game and make her more vulnerable IMO
*****************************************
Now, back to the scene and THE BIGGEST REVELATION YET!
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
A SHRIEK (Robin O.C.) pierces the room. Sam spins.
Disoriented. No vision.
SAM
Why me?
JACK
Easy. I liked you the first time I
saw you.
SAM
When was that?
JACK
Your fifteenth birthday.
SAM
I don't believe you. You were just
another case, Jack. You were just my
bad luck.
JACK
Are you absolutely certain?
He circles, smelling her hair. She spins trying to
sense his direction.
*****************************************
Could it be, we really have the answer at last!?! It could be a lie, but if he were going to lie I would think he would have chosen a birthday that had greater cultural or personal significance to her. Even in his moments of craziness, everything Jack tells Samantha has an element of truth to it. Like when he told her in Modus Operandi that she left her first love for him, while not true in the most literal sense, it was true in that she neglected her marriage and put Tom in danger in her pursuit of Jack. It still had truth to the statement even if Sam didn't wish to see it.
So I'm inclined to say that at least it's possible what Jack's saying here. And it even age wise is within the bounds of acceptable since they're anywhere from within a year or so of each other to a maximum of the 5.25 years difference that DC and AW are in real life. This notion has soooo much potential!!! Look for this one as a challenge here down the road someday :o)
Also, lurve the hair sniffing. This fits a man who is so desperately in love that just breathing her air sends shivers down his spine. I love that there's a vaguely sensual undercurrent.
*****************************************
Continuing onwards with the scene
61 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY CONTINUED
SAM
What do you want from me?
JACK
I just want you to appreciate me...
I deserve a little admiration, don't
you think?
SAM
The, why would you kill all those
people I barely knew?
Jack reaches forward as if to strike her cheek, but only
feels the air next to her face.
JACK
It was necessary.
SAM
Necessary... just like bringing me
here was necessary?
JACK
Nobody understands me like you
do... nobody.
SAM
You want to be close, is that it?
Then why are you keeping your
distance?
He tries again to touch her but can't. He suddenly turn
away. CAMERA follows him to:
*****************************************
Poor Jack! Sam denigrating all his offerings. If he didn't strike her at that moment, I think he truly never would harm her. But on a happier note, I found Sam's wording an interesting alternative to her "take my hand" from the final product. Her statement is more provoking and invites a great deal more than a touch of the hand. That was the end of that scene and all in all a great deal of impact on skew! *brief dreamy sigh and Jack pity before typing next section*
*****************************************
62 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
A HOODED FIGURE (Robin is tied up, huddled against a wall,
desperately struggling to escape her bonds.
JACK'S DOC MARTENS approach her. A boot delivers a swift
kick as he yanks off the hood. Nose to nose with Robin,
he RAGES at her.
JACK
Stop whining, you pathetic little
amateur. What do you want?
Jack pulls the gag out of her mouth.
ROBIN
Who are you?
JACK
I'm the person you'd like to be.
ROBIN
Why are you interfering?
JACK
Because you didn't think it through.
Robin
What the hell do you know about it?
He shoves the gag back in her mouth, tapes it.
JACK
Oh, put a shock in it, Robin. I'll
get back to you.
SLAMS the HOOD back around her face.
*****************************************
I'm a bit mixed on this part. I loved Jack being snarky and could have seen him engaging Robin like this before Sam was there. But what I thought him exposing his face to Robin, that seemed out of character and I don't think Jack would converse so extensively with her while his Samantha was awake and available to him. But still great dialogue. And I do really love how the scene contrasts how gentle and patient he is with Sam and how brutal and impatient he is with anyone else. So still SQUEE!
*****************************************
47 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
We HEAR the JAR of the cage and the WHIR of elevator
cables. As the elevator descends, Jack moves toward Sam.
SAM
People will find me.
JACK
This may be difficult for you to
accept, but nobody is even thinking
of you right now, except of course,
little old moi, mwah mwaaahh...
SAM
Game time is up, Jack. Why don't you
tell me what you want from me.
JACK (O.S.)
I want you to walk a mile in my shoes.
SAM'S POV - BLURRY
Jack's figure moves to her left. In her periphery she sees
A mouth; a cheek, an ear. She takes a step and knocks into
an aquarium, sending little waves cascading over the edge.
JACK (O.S.)
Careful, Bunny Love... fishies and
spiders and snakes, oh my...
*****************************************
A few cute and a few cheesy lines. Nothing major but I like how Jack is still a little protective and it's fun interaction. The next scene Jack is in is the one where Angel calls and there's virtually no difference from what we saw on the show.
*****************************************
So onto the scene were Jack and Sam part company. Which has a weird instance of redundant lines in the script which I dutifully will include. There are dates at the top of the pages which indicate the first time we hear Jack say the line is an earlier draft and it's a bit different.
74 INT. ROBIN'S LAIR - DAY
CLOSE ON a black spider as Jack CRUSHES it with his foot.
Jack (O.S.)
Hate the competition.
ANGLE - SAM
Straining to see with her slowly returning vision. Now she
can make out the form of a SNAKE in an aquarium... and Jack's
approaching figure. She whips an arm out toward him.
JACK
It's almost over. When we meet
again, we'll both be on the same
team. Until then -- Samantha,
A SHOT goes off at the door downstairs. Jack notices.
JACK
Company's here, Samantha. When we
meet against, we'll both be on the same team.
*****************************************
So we have the line about Jack hating the competition in another location. And two version of the same parting speech. I sort of like the first better, or at least the end bit of Jack's "Until then-- Samantha."
*****************************************
With this script, Venom takes on a whole new life and gives us some potential insight into the depths of Jack and Samantha. If Jack really saw her at her 15th birthday then all the killings may have been for her even before she was on the case and true or not it's a FANTABULOUS plot bunny! I have to say I really love that Jack has a caring side in this and in THTJB as well. In some ways it makes his brutality as a killer that much worse because he's capable of being so vulnerable and caring.
Thank you once more to roman_romantic for such a wonderful gift!!