Browsers

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COLD OPEN:

A COMPUTER SCREEN.

FF shot of the homepage of Gush, a fictional website modeled

on The Huffington Post. The banner headline reads “This Is

Our Youth?”. The subheadline reads “Unpaid Interns Launch

Uncertain Future at Gush”. Between these two are photos ofthe people we’ll soon know as KATE, JOSH, GABE and PRUDENCE.

An iMac-style cursor clicks on the headline. After a second

the ‘article’ page of the story appears with a video box. Thecursor clicks on the ‘play’ button, then the ‘full frame’corner-box. Video fills the screen:

EXT. ASTORIA, QUEENS - MORNING

ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF AN ORDINARY SEPTEMBER MONDAY MORNING.

KATE, 22, ATTRACTIVE, NEUROTIC, CASUALLY DRESSED, WALKS OUT

OF HER APARTMENT BUILDING DOOR ONTO THE STREET, WEARING

EARPHONES. DISNEYESQUE MUSIC BEGINS WHEN SHE CLOSES THE DOOR;

THOUGH LOUD, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S COMING FROM HER EARPHONES.

SHE SINGS TO THE CAMERA, MUSICAL-THEATERY OVER-THE-TOP CHEERY

AT FIRST, BUT QUICKLY LOSING CONFIDENCE.

KATE:

Hello, Monday morning!

Oh, how wonderful you feel!

You’re just like me: you’re breezy,

bright, and sunny!

And although I may be slightly stressed,

And my heart is pounding in my chest,

And I got four hours of sleep at best,

And I'm either manic or depressed,

And I'm overwhelmed and underdressed...

(The music ends awkwardly.

She looks at herself)

Under-underdressed, actually. Like,

slut.

(Looks at her chest)

Aaaand I’m nippin’ out. So dumb

slut.

(Turns around, walks away)

Headlights on and nobody home.

(Keeps walking away)

I should not be trusted with me.

SHE KEEPS WALKING FOR AN AWKWARD SECOND.

BROWSERS - 10/25/12

EXT. ASTORIA, QUEENS - MORNING

THE EXACT SAME ESTABLISHING SHOTS. ONCE AGAIN KATE EMERGES,

THIS TIME IN DRESSIER CLOTHES, AND TO LESS DISNEYESQUE,

“REALER” MUSIC THAT SOUNDS MUCH FULLER. NO ONE ELSE NOTICES

HER OR EXPRESSES AWARENESS THAT SHE’S SINGING AS SHE WALKS.

KATE:

Hello, Monday morning.

So listen, here’s the deal:

I am starting at a job that pays no

money.

I’m twenty-two and I live in Queens,

INT. - TINY DISHWASHER OF KATE’S APARTMENT

A DIRTY PLATE OF RICE AND BEANS SITS IN THE DISHWASHER NEXT

TO AN OPEN BOTTLE OF SUNKIST.

KATE (V.O.)

I’ve been eating nothing but rice andbeans,

EXT. - SUBWAY ENTRANCE

KATE DESCENDS DOWN A SUBWAY STAIRCASE.

KATE (O.S.)

And I'm kind of lost, and a bit confused,

But I can’t help feeling amused

INT. - SUBWAY PLATFORM

KATE SINGS, ONE OF MANY PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE TRAIN.

KATE:

That this is my life!

Don’t know what I'm doing in it,

But it’s my life!

The approaching train virtually drowns out her next line.

KATE (CONT’D)

Growing closer by the minute!

INT. - CROWDED SUBWAY CAR

KATE:

(Straphanging)

This is my life,

Which I'm stalling

‘Til my calling

Makes a call.

But for now, I'm gonna fake it after all!

BROWSERS - 10/25/12

Excited, she takes off her earphones and flips them into theair Mary Tyler Moore-style. They land on a man next to her.

KATE (CONT’D)

I am so sorry!

INT. - KID’S BEDROOM IN MAPLEWOOD, NJ

A NOTE FROM THE SONG SEGUES INTO AN ALARM CLOCK GOING OFF.

JOSH, 23, NERDY, ROLLS OVER AND TURNS IT OFF. HE STARES AT

THE CEILING. AT FIRST, HIS LIPS DON’T MOVE WHEN HE SINGS; HE

IS “THINKING” THE SONG.

JOSH (V.O.)

Hello, so-called...

(Makes “finger-quotes”)

“real” world.

(Note the quotes around the “real.”)

Hello Dad’s new girlfriend screaming

A KNOCK ON THE DOOR.

DAD’S NEW GIRLFRIEND (O.S.)

Mornin’, honey!

WE NOW SEE JOSH IS SLEEPING IN A BLANKET WITH A HUGE IMAGE OF

WORF FROM STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. RAPID CUTS SHOW HE’S IN

HIS CHILDHOOD BEDROOM - CHILDHOOD PHOTOS, STACKS OF BEAT-UP

SCI-FI NOVELS, A RECENTLY-ADDED COLLEGE DIPLOMA.

JOSH (O.C.)

I’m a grown-up man in my childhood room.

I am out of work and in the womb.

INT. - KITCHEN TABLE

JOSH, NOW DRESSED SLOPPY IN JEANS AND AN A GAME OF THRONES TSHIRT,

SITS EATING COUNT CHOCULA. HIS FATHER AND AN

ATTRACTIVE BLONDE TWENTY YEARS HIS JUNIOR SIT NEXT TO HIM,

TALKING AND FLIRTING. JOSH LOOKS MISERABLE.

JOSH (V.O.)

But today I'm launching a new career

That’ll get me the hell out of here

INT. - STARBUCKS

HE IS AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE. NOW HE SINGS “OUT LOUD,”

THOUGH AS ALWAYS NO ONE ELSE HEARS IT.

JOSH:

And give me my life!

(To the cashier)

BROWSERS - 10/25/12

JOSH (CONT'D)

Yeah, a double-shot espresso.

(To himself)

This is my life!

CASHIER:

Want a pastry?

JOSH:

Yeah, I guess so.

INT. - BUS

HE SITS ON A CROWDED COMMUTER BUS HAVING HIS ESPRESSO AND

SCONE. HE SINGS WITH FOOD IN HIS MOUTH.

JOSH:

This is my life,

Not a pastime.

Now at last I'm

On my way.

HE BEGINS TYPING INTO HIS CELLPHONE. THE MANHATTAN SKYLINE IS

IN THE BACKGROUND.

JOSH (CONT’D)

So start tweetin’ the news...

A TWEET APPEARS IN A BUBBLE IN THE CORNER OF THE SCREEN LIKE

A REAL TWEET, FROM HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT @MODERNVALJEAN: “On

way to first Day at Gush. #NervouslyPredisillusioned”

JOSH (CONT’D)

I'm leaving today!

HE SMILES.

EXT. - PENN STATION

GABE, 22, BLACK, GAY, STRIDES THROUGH PENN STATION, FASTER

AND MORE CONFIDENT THAN OTHER COMMUTERS. HE SINGS PROUDLY TO

THE CAMERA.

GABE:

So much injustice worth fighting!

So many wrongs worth destroying!

I’m gonna go make a difference!

It’s gonna make me annoying!

EXT. - CHELSEA

PRUDENCE, 22, CHINESE-AMERICAN, STONED, STANDS IN AN URBAN

PARK, TRYING TO DISCREETLY SMOKE A JOINT. SHE COUGHS HER WAY

THROUGH NEARLY ALL HER MELODY, BARELY SINGING A WORD.

BROWSERS - 10/25/12

PRUDENCE:

[COUGH COUGH COUGH] excitement!

[COUGH COUGH] challenge!

[COUGH] tomorrow [COUGH COUGH].

[COUGH COUGH] donut!

[NOTE:
THIS CAN ALSO BE SHOT WITHOUT SHOWING THE JOINT, BUT

JUST WITH PRUDENCE, RED-EYED, AMBLING DOWN THE STREET AND

FORGETTING THE LYRICS ONE LINE IN.]

PRUDENCE HAS SEEN A DONUT STORE ACROSS THE STREET. SHE

HAPPILY BEGINS WALKING TOWARDS IT. AS SHE DOES KATE WALKS BY

HER, PAUSES AND LOOKS AT THE FRONT OF A HIP-LOOKING BUILDING.

THE SIGN SAYS “GUSH.COM,” AND FEATURES A CARICATURE OF ITS

FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER, JULIANNA MANCUSO-BRUNI. KATE TAKES A

DEEP BREATH. SHE WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR TO SECURITY.

KATE:

Hello, Monday morning.

One more secret to reveal:

I’m so absolutely terrified it’s funny.

SHE HANDS THE SECURITY GUARD HER DRIVER’S LICENSE. HE PLACES

IT DOWN ON HIS DESK. THE LICENSE IDENTIFIES HER AS KATE

BLOMQUIST. HER AWKWARD FACE IN THE PICTURE SINGS.

KATE (IN DRIVER’S LICENSE) (CONT’D)

Gonna try my best not to look thatscared!

GABE’S DRIVER’S LICENSE IS PLOPPED DOWN ON THE SAME DESK. IT

IDENTIFIES HIM AS GABRIEL BLACKMAN. HIS PICTURE SINGS.

GABE (IN DRIVER’S LICENSE)

Gonna seem incredibly well-prepared!

JOSH’S DRIVER’S LICENSE IS PLOPPED ON THE SAME DESK. IT

IDENTIFIES HIM AS JOSH GRIBB. HIS PICTURE SINGS.

JOSH (IN DRIVER’S LICENSE)

Gonna have a job like a grown-up does!

PRUDENCE’S DRIVER’S LICENSE IS PLOPPED ON THE SAME DESK. IT

IDENTIFIES HER AS PRUDENCE YU. HER RED-EYED PICTURE SINGS.

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