In the Loop Page #4

Simon and Judy swap seats again.

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Back with Karen. She's holding up a paper in a red

folder.

KAREN:

This paper, authored by one of my

aides, Liza Weld. You don’t mind me

fore-grounding this do you Liza?

Liza reacts. Her paper? In a big meeting. Is this good

or bad?

KAREN (CONT’D)

Illuminates the logistical factors we

face. She highlights a number of

reasons why, in practical terms, we

can’t envision a theatre deployment

for twelve months.

BOB ADRIANO:

Although not everyone might agree with

the assumptions made in that paper.

KAREN:

Really - such as what?

BOB ADRIANO:

Let's not stray into the tar pit of

detail Karen. The committee feels a

much quicker deployment is possible.

KAREN:

Which committee?

BOB ADRIANO:

(covering)

This has been discussed in a number of

committees. I think Chad you're

getting a good flow of information on

this?

KAREN:

Sorry Bob, I didn’t catch the name of

the committee?

ADRIANO:

As I said Karen a number of

committees. If I said one committee...

KAREN:

You did.

MICHAEL:

If I can interject here, I’m aware

we’re pushed for time so if you’ll

excuse my hideous disfigurement of the

English slash American language I’d

like to move us on agenda-wise.

(MORE)

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MICHAEL (CONT'D)

Our next item is international relief

co-ordination.

Karen is conferring with Liza, Adriano with his guy.

KAREN:

Have you heard of this committee?

ADRIANO:

What’s this Liza Weld paper?

Simon is watching, feeling the meeting is passing him

by.

SIMON:

(to Judy and Toby)

Should I say something? She invited

me, I should say something. If you

don’t say something in the first 10

minutes, you can end up not saying

anything at all.

JUDY:

I don't know whether you should say

anything.

SIMON:

I’m saying something ... I think I’m

going to try saying something.

Simon goes to put his hand up, Toby maybe puts a

calming hand on his hand. They look at one another. Has

Toby crossed a line?

KAREN:

Look - I just think it’s worth noting

that Ministers in The UK Government,

(Liza whispers - Simon’s

over there)

such as our colleague here ...

SIMON:

(pleased)

Is she talking about me?

KAREN:

Simon Foster ...

SIMON:

She’s talking about me!

KAREN:

Has made it clear that for them

currently war is unforeseeable. So

there can’t really be said to be any

consensus on the war question. Right

Simon?

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She might be looking in the wrong direction, she

doesn’t know who this ‘Simon’ guy is, she’s just read

the quote off a piece of paper. The answer comes from

the other side of the room.

SIMON:

Well, yes, I mean, that’s what I said.

And I stick to what I said.

At this, one of Karen’s press people and one of Bob

Adriano’s both rush out to start spinning the line on

Simon’s comments.

SIMON (CONT’D)

But that doesn’t mean that what I said

won’t ever change ...

MICHAEL:

(cutting in)

I wonder if there aren’t some area of

mutual agreement we can’t rattle

through here and see how much time we

have at the end for this discussion?

Suzy comes round the back of the meeting all smiles and

hands Judy a note with a smile.

JUDY:

Thanks.

She opens the note it reads, ‘Simon is acting like a

massive tit. Stop him.’

SUZY:

Is that all fine?

JUDY:

That’s all fine. Thanks for that.

SUZY:

Thanks.

JUDY:

(whispered)

Toby can you let the Minister know the

Foreign Office think he’s acting like

a massive tit and they’d rather he

stopped?

TOBY:

(whispered)

Er? Yeah? Maybe you should. I wouldn’t

want - you know Chinese Whispers - to

send the wrong message through?

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JUDY:

(whispered)

It’s a simple message, ‘stop being a

massive tit’. It’s really a political

message I think it’s best for you to

deliver it.

Okay.

TOBY:

Toby whispers something in Simon’s ear. Simon doesn’t

look pleased. Karen is still talking to the meeting.

Simon shuts up. He’ll have this out later.

18 INT. FOREIGN OFFICE BALLROOM - DAY 18

The big meeting is breaking up. Simon is annoyed,

leading Judy and Toby out of the room and into any

private space he can find - they back into a huge huge

ballroom

SIMON:

Come here - we need to talk

(they go into the massive

room, look around)

What do you mean stop being a ‘tit’?

In what way was I being a tit? Why am

I even over here if I’m not meant to

say anything?

JUDY:

You were just meat in the room, Simon.

SIMON:

'Meat in the room'? Oh for f***'s sake

Judy. I took an hour out to come over

here and be room meat?

TOBY:

But you know you're a prime cut,

you're not - offal.

SIMON:

Great, I'm not liver. What was I, tit

meat?

19 INT. FOREIGN OFFICE LOBBY - DAY 19

We're with Karen Clark's delegation who have just

walked downstairs from the meeting room into a ground

floor lobby area. KAREN is talking to LIZA, her right-

hand woman.

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KAREN:

The committee. That committee Bob

Adriano dropped on us just then, what

is that? Get me on it.

LIZA:

Which committee?

KAREN:

I don't know. Linton must have set up

a war committee.

LIZA:

Can he do that?

KAREN:

Should he do that? No. Of course not.

Would he do that? Yes.

LIZA:

So, listen, about my paper

KAREN:

Don’t thank me, it’s good work, you

deserve the credit.

LIZA:

I just wondered if - (it could be

anonymous? It’s not something I

authored, I was just tasked with

writing it.)

KAREN:

And get me on that committee.

LIZA:

The one we don’t know about?

TOBY, SIMON and JUDY are above them standing round a

circular viewing area that looks down on the lobby.

The UK and US delegations are aware of each other,

throwing furtive glances each other's way.

KAREN:

Whichever committee they don't want me

to be a member of, I want to be a

member of that. It's a confused

Groucho Marx.

LIZA:

Okay. Right.

Chad arrives. Karen talks to someone else.

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CHAD:

Hey Liza. Your paper got a major

citation. You must be psyched Karen

brought it up.

LIZA:

She...that was her call. I didn't know

it had been that widely read.

CHAD:

Yeah, it's getting read. It's truthy.

It's factish. In many regards it is a

great paper. Up till page nine. Pages

nine through 35? Horror Show. You

could not write anything that clashes

more violently with the current

climate. You are like the woman from

The Omen, you’ve given birth to a

demon and it’s going to kill you.

LIZA:

You probably identify with the kid

from The Omen right? Lonely, unloved.

Deviant.

CHAD:

I am so glad I am not you.

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