Catwoman Page #7

Season #1 Episode #2

---

MIDNIGHT HURTLES a CONCRETE MOAT, PATIENCE follows, still

high, giggly. She suddenly finds herself face to face with:

A BENGAL TIGER. He lets out a small ROAR.

(CONTINUED)

32.

CONTINUED:

PATIENCE blinks, crouches --and ROARS back, unafraid. The

tiger springs forward... and LICKS HER. She wrestles with

him playfully, he's just a bigger version of Midnight.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. EDNA'S HOME -BEDROOM -MORNING

EDNA POWERS sleeps in bed. MIDNIGHT climbs atop her, startskneading. She makes a NOISE, rolls over, opens her eyes.

EDNA:

Midnight? What are you doing here?

She squints, sees morning light through a window. She climbs

out of bed in her nightdress.

EXT. EDNA'S HOME -DAY

EDNA emerges in a bathrobe, crossing her overgrown lawn,

MIDNIGHT bounding ahead of her. A Martha Stewarty NEIGHBOR,

weeding an immaculate garden, throws Edna a sour look.

NEIGHBOR:

Edna, your cats have been using my garden as alitter box again.

EDNA:

(gravely)

You can't change their nature.

The neighbor scowls and returns to her weeding. As EDNA

bends down for her newspaper, she hears a MEOW and

sees -

--Midnight licking a HAND, which protrudes from under abush.

Edna GASPS, moves closer, crouching to get a better look.

It's PATIENCE, sound asleep, body twisted sideways in anunnatural position. Quietly:

EDNA:

Hello...?

Patience starts awake, looking around, confused.

(CONTINUED)

33.

CONTINUED:

EDNA:

What are you doing in my hedge?

Patience rolls out from under the bushes, crouches on her

haunches now, a panicky look in her eyes. Leaves and dirt

cling to her clothes. She has no idea how she got here.

INT. EDNA'S HOME -LIVING ROOM -DAY

PATIENCE is wrapped in a BLANKET, sitting on the couch,

MIDNIGHT nuzzling her, as EDNA brings her a cup of TEA. Edna

picks up a CLIPBOARD from a coffee table.

EDNA:

Your name is Patience Price, you live on South87th.

(beat)

You love chocolate --you're afraid of heights?

Any of this ring a bell?

Patience nods slowly, puts her face in her hands.

PATIENCE:

I... it's coming back to me. But last night...

it's just... it's like a dream.

EDNA:

(chiding)

You said in your application that you don't drink

or take drugs.

PATIENCE:

(rising)

I don't. I think... something must have happened.

I need to...

EDNA:

You need to rest.

Patience takes a few steps from the couch and lets theblanket slip from her shoulders.

EDNA:

Oh my God...

Edna stares at PATIENCE'S BACK. The fabric of her dress is

torn, the skin discolored beneath with a hint of dried blood

--and we make out the marks left by a TIRE TREAD.

(CONTINUED)

34.

CONTINUED:

EDNA:

You're in no condition to -

EDNA moves beside Patience and GRABS HER by the wrist -

ON PATIENCE'S HAND, the fingers CURL and FIVE SHARP CAT CLAWS(SPFX) emerge from her fingertips --only for an instant.

EDNA blinks at this, PATIENCE whirls on her with an abruptand frightening HISS -

CLOSE, Patience's pupils become ELLIPTICAL for a blink,

flecked with GOLD, then -

She yanks her hand away quickly, immediately looks contrite,

and a bit dazed from the momentary transformation.

PATIENCE:

Sorry, you --you startled me... look, Edna, thanksfor everything, but --I just want to get home andtake a bath.

Edna nods, unnerved. PATIENCE picks MIDNIGHT up in her armsand hurries out the door. Edna stares after her, a

disturbing thought forming.

INT. EDNA'S HOME -OFFICE -DAY

EDNA moves purposefully to a FILE CABINET in this cluttered,

book-lined room and opens a drawer. She thumbs past manyyears' worth of scholarly research, finally pulling a thick,

dog-eared MANILA FILE from near the back. She moves to her

desk, slips on reading glasses and opens the folder -

ANGLE ON FILE --an old, thick type-written SCHOLARLY PAPER

entitled "MYTHS OF FELIGYNY, by E. POWERS Ph.D." She putsthis aside, revealing a WOODCUT of an AFRICAN Catwoman in

leopard skin, surrounded by cats. Next, an ASIAN CATWOMAN, a

print of a 19th Century watercolor. She wears a Chinese-

style MASK, close-fitting robes, a long tail. Both

illustrations show the women with CLAWS and ELLIPTICAL

PUPILS.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PATIENCE'S APARTMENT -BATHROOM -DAY

PATIENCE stares at her dirty face in the MIRROR, still

reeling from the events of the previous night.

(CONTINUED)

35.

CONTINUED:

Behind her, THE BATHTUB RUNS, almost filled. She moves to

the edge of the tub, starting to undo her ragged clothes,

stares down at -

THE RIPPLING WATER. She blinks, her expression far

away -

FLASHBACK -INT. PATIENCE'S HEAD

A vertiginous PLUNGE from the bridge toward DARK WATER -

INT. PATIENCE'S APARTMENT -BATHROOM -DAY (PRESENT)

PATIENCE starts, shaking off this momentary vision.

She dips a finger in the water, jerks back --much as a cat

might. She shakes drops off her hand, repelled by the water.

INT. PATIENCE'S APARTMENT -DAY

There's KNOCKING at the door. The PHONE IS RINGING, a

MACHINE picks up. We hear RUNNING WATER from beyond the

closed bathroom door.

PATIENCE (V.O.)

This is Patience, you can leave a message if you

want...

BEEP.

INT. PATIENCE'S APARTMENT -BATHROOM -DAY

PATIENCE turns off the TAPS, in the quiet she hears EDNA'SVOICE on her answering machine.

EDNA (V.O.)

It's Edna Powers --the most extraordinary thing, I

--I think I know what's happened to you -

PATIENCE has risen with a shiver, hurries back into the main

room, pulling her blouse closed.

INT. PATIENCE'S APARTMENT -DAY

PATIENCE moves for the PHONE, but FREEZES at the sightof -

(CONTINUED)

36.

CONTINUED:

--THE DOORKNOB RATTLING, someone trying to get in.

EDNA (V.O.)

--be careful, Patience, I'm afraid you may be indanger...

MIDNIGHT lets out a menacing GROWL.

THE KNOB TURNS, the door swings open --a MAN starts to enter

CLANG! PATIENCE whacks him over the head with a FRYING PAN.

THE MAN is knocked hard into the door and slumps to theground, stunned... it's TOM LONE.

PATIENCE recognizes him with horror, looks at the door -PATIENCE'S

KEYS with the "HELLO KITTY" emblem dangle from thelock, her PURSE is on the ground.

PATIENCE:

I am so, so sorry -

TOM LONE groans, painfully coming to and sitting up.

PATIENCE crouches at his side.

LONE:

You actually hit me with a frying pan?

PATIENCE:

I didn't know it was you.

LONE:

Guess we're even now. Name's Tom Lone, by the way.

PATIENCE:

(shakes his hand)

Patience Price.

LONE:

Yeah, I know, I checked your ID.

PATIENCE:

Oh God, not that awful driver's license picture -

LONE:

(rubbing his head)

Got any ice?

(CONTINUED)

37.

CONTINUED:

PATIENCE hurries to assemble an ice pack, MIDNIGHT is eatinghappily at the table, LONE gets to his feet.

LONE:

I found your purse in the street right outside thismorning. I tried calling --I was afraid somethingmight've happened to you...

Rate this script:3.9 / 7 votes