Ground Floor Page #2

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JENNIFER:

Sorry, Harvard. My one-night-stand

alarm went off. I only do those

bianually.

HARVARD:

(TO DERRICK) That means there was

another chick there, and they did some

butt stuff.

JENNIFER:

It doesn’t mean that. (ANSWERS PHONE)

Building support. No, Jose, you’re in

the wrong bathroom. Wrong basura.

The toilet’s broken in the eighth

floor, ladies room. But knock

first... Knock first. (TO ROOM)

Anyone? Spanish for ‘knock first?’

WE HEAR HIGH-PITCHED COMMOTION ON PHONE. AS SHE HANGS UP:

GROUND FLOOR:

"Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 10.

I/D

JENNIFER (CONT’D)

Forget it.

HARVARD:

So did you spend all weekend with this

guy?

JENNIFER:

Nope, I was with my mom. She finally

sold her house. Kinda sad ‘cause it’s

the one I grew up in.

DERRICK:

How much did she get for it?

JENNIFER:

Well, it’s a thirty-year-old R.V. so

not a lot. She got fifty bucks, a

case of beer and a ride to my uncle’s

house.

DERRICK:

Not bad.

HARVARD:

You hook up at the party, man?

DERRICK:

Yeah. Cuban chick. Slammin’ bod.

Has the cutest dimple right here when

she smiles.

HARVARD:

Sweet. What’s her name?

GROUND FLOOR:

"Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 11.

I/D

DERRICK:

I didn’t meet anyone.

HARVARD:

I hate it when you do that.

JENNIFER:

Hey, he’s getting better. Derrick

used to lie about everything-DERRICK

Everybody exaggerates a little to make

themselves seem cooler.

HARVARD:

You said you could get me play-off

tickets, because your dad worked for

the Giants!

DERRICK:

Dude, it’s going to happen.

JENNIFER:

(TO HARVARD) Look, I’ve been working

with him. Now, when he lies, if

someone asks a follow-up question, he

comes clean.

HARVARD:

(TURNS TO DERRICK) Does your dad

really work for the Giants?

DERRICK:

Nah, he sweeps warehouses.

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12

12.

I/D

JENNIFER:

I’m so proud of you.

DERRICK:

Thanks, Jenny.

JENNIFER:

For what? We always have each other’s

backs down here.

SMASH CUT /

TRANSITION UP TO:

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 13.

I/E

ACT ONE:

SCENE E:

INT. UPSTAIRS CONFERENCE ROOM - MORNING (DAY THREE)

(BRODY, THREEPEAT, MANSFIELD, KYLE)

YOUNG MONEY MANAGERS MILL AROUND BEFORE THE MORNING MEETING.

BRODY AND THREEPEAT ENTER. KYLE TURNS TO THREEPEAT:

KYLE:

Yo, Threepeat, you keep dropping the

ball on the Danson Trust, and I’m

going to steal that client.

AS HE PASSES KYLE, THREEPEAT FLICKS HIM IN THE CROTCH. KYLE

FLINCHES. THREEPEAT KEEPS WALKING.

THREEPEAT:

Ball tap. (THEN, TO BRODY) That’s

the only way to keep these guys in

check.

BRODY:

No, there are other, more adult ways.

THREEPEAT:

I still can’t believe you hooked up

with a ground floor chick.

BRODY:

Wait, you’re judging me? Because you

carry a list in your pocket of “stuff

you’d like to have sex with”. Not

girls - not even people - stuff.

BRODY PULLS IT OUT OF THREEPEAT’S INSIDE-JACKET POCKET.

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 14.

I/E

BRODY (CONT’D)

Oh and look, you crossed off “giant

stuffed teddy bear”.

THREEPEAT:

Yeah, we were in a toy store. The

guys took cell video.

THREEPEAT HOLDS HIS CELL UP TO BRODY.

BRODY:

That looks like it might end in

another “bury the pants” situation.

I’m out.

BRODY DOESN’T WATCH. THE OTHERS LOOK OVER THREEPEAT’S

SHOULDER. MR. MANSFIELD, (LATE 40S, MERCURIAL AND

INTIMIDATING, THE IMPOSING HEAD OF WHITESTONE) ENTERS AND

TAKES IT ALL IN.

MANSFIELD:

This is good. See, I was worried that

you’d all spend the five or so minutes

before our morning meeting working on

your pitch books for the investment

committee members of the Hopetown

endowment. Instead, I see something I

wish I could show all our clients:

the fine young men I picked to manage

their money, gathered together,

watching one of their brethren pretend

to make love to a toy. (THEN) Mr.

Moyer, not participating?

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12

15.

I/E

BRODY:

I’m too sad for the bear, sir.

MANSFIELD:

I was speaking of Friday night. You

never came back to work. Young Kyle

tattled on you. Kyle, I know I

promised I wouldn’t say who told me,

but nobody likes a tattle-tale.

(THEN) May I have a minute with you

on my balcony, Mr. Moyer?

AS THEY EXIT, THREEPEAT LOOKS ANGRILY OVER AT KYLE.

THREEPEAT:

Bro, you’ve got a ball-tap storm

coming your way.

CUT TO:

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 16.

I/H

ACT ONE:

SCENE H:

EXT. MANSFIELD'S BALCONY - MORNING (DAY THREE)

(BRODY, MANSFIELD)

MANSFIELD’S BALCONY IS A SLEEK, COMFORTABLY DECORATED AREA

THAT OVERLOOKS THE CITY. MANSFIELD PATS THE CHAIR NEXT TO

HIM. BRODY SITS DOWN AS MANSFIELD LIGHTS A CIGAR.

MANSFIELD:

Let’s fire up some guy talk. I’ll

start. How about those 49ers? Do you

like working here?

BRODY:

Sir, I’m sorry I skipped out on Friday

night, I just-- there was this girl.

MANSFIELD:

Ah, the start of every tragic story.

So, how was the sex? Was it your

basic, pasty white, fumble-fumblegrunt-

grunt-done? Or was it mind-

blowing, willing-to-throw-your-careeraway

fantastic?

BRODY:

Are those my only choices? (THEN)

Sir, I was planning on coming back,

there’s just something about this

girl. She works on the ground floor,

and she’s-

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 17.

I/H

MANSFIELD:

Wait, she works on the ground floor?

You have to understand something about

ground floor people. They came right

out of high school and are sitting

behind the desk that they’re going to

sit behind for the rest of their

lives. The only way out is to find a

meal ticket like you, Mr. Moyer.

BRODY:

She didn’t seem like that kind of-

MANSFIELD:

I’ll give you a signal when I’m done

talking, son. Now, I can’t lose my

most promising, young, money manager

to a sea of personal problems. If I

were you, I’d go down and fix this.

Tell her it’s over. Be nice, but be

clear. I assume you’re grinning like

a fool because I said, “most

promising” earlier. Don’t celebrate

until you’ve left the balcony.

BRODY:

(CALMLY) Of course, sir.

BRODY EXITS INTO THE OFFICE. THE SECOND THE DOOR CLOSES, HE

RAISES HIS ARMS IN THE AIR. MANSFIELD SMILES AND THROWS HIS

CIGAR OFF THE BALCONY. WE FOLLOW IT TO THE GROUND FLOOR.

TRANSITION DOWN:

TO:

GROUND FLOOR "Pilot" Rev. Network Draft 6/29/12 18.

I/J

ACT ONE:

SCENE J:

INT. GROUND FLOOR BULLPEN - MORNING (DAY THREE)

(BRODY, JENNIFER, DERRICK, HARVARD, TORI)

BRODY ENTERS, COUGHING, WITH VERY MESSY HAIR. FIXING IT:

BRODY:

What the hell was that gust of hot air

back there?

JENNIFER:

That’s the furnace exhaust vent. You

have to hug the wall and go around it.

DERRICK:

Harvard always gets nailed by that

vent.

DERRICK GETS UP, WALKS OUT OF FRAME (EXPLAINED IN A SECOND).

BRODY:

This is the first time I’ve ever been

down here, and how did you know I went

to Harvard?

HARVARD:

He's talking to me, dude.

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