This Is Your Death Page #3

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people how to live,

to appreciate what we've got,

to foster empathy.

And it's not gonna be

about fame or money,

and we are not gonna be

bribing guests to come on.

They will come

of their own volition.

And if that doesn't work?

Everybody has a story,

they just...

they just want to be heard.

What do you want?

I want a say in set design

and show structure,

and I want complete control

of the message--

- Adam--

- It's non-negotiable.

You're using me.

And I want to be perfectly clear

that I'm gonna be

using you, too.

You need ratings.

I need a platform.

This is not gonna be

a circus act, Ilana.

This is gonna be shocking.

And real.

And it'll probably

get us both fired.

Sounds good to me.

Okay.

Let's move these LED walls

downstage and put in the stairs,

and bring the five-line

up in the service.

And hey, let's-- let's bring

these seats all the way...

all the way up to here.

I wanna feel the audience

right on top of the stage.

Where will the cameras go?

I'm gonna need at least ten feet

for three operators

and a jib arm.

Plus do you think they're gonna let

someone walk on stage with a gun,

no barrier

to the audience? No.

You're gonna need a bullet-proof

partition built around the stage

and I want separate entrances

from the parking lot,

so no one behind that wall

can get into the audience.

Who is in charge here?

You or him?

I am.

I am.

It's not about death,

but it is about ratings.

The idea here is

to have people wake up.

He looks like a serial killer.

Do we need serial killer?

Well, he can serial

kill himself.

We're making this

network relevant.

You cannot forget.

Can we order some pizza, please?

This is where I wanna start,

what's next... nope.

And we're gonna need to work

on these screens here, right?

What are we doing here?

- What are we doing here?

- Mm-hmm.

Uh... we're making a show.

You know what I mean.

We're giving television the

kick in the ass that it needs.

That's what we're doing here.

We're challenging people to get

up and stand for something.

And what is that? Death?

No. No, Sylvia.

Life.

It's not just a show

about death.

You do know that no one

at the network

- gives a sh*t about your message, right?

- Yeah.

They just want shock and awe

and blood and pyrotechnics.

Yeah, I know. I know,

but I think that we can create a

scenario where everybody wins.

God, I want to believe you.

You know, for a reality

show veteran,

you are impressively naive.

Yeah? Well, for a woman who

tells fairytales for a living,

your lack of imagination

is quite sad.

Knock 'em dead, kiddo.

Really?

Let's have a good show,

everybody.

Stand by VTU.

On in five, four, three...

Cue graphics and music.

Cue camera one.

Live from Los Angeles,

This Is Your Death!

And now, your host, Adam Rogers!

Ladies and gentlemen...

What you're about to see tonight

is unlike anything you've seen

on television before.

But let me be clear about

one thing straight off the top.

This is not a stunt,

this is not a joke-

He's off script.

Hold the prompter.

This is not a prank.

And this will probably

shock you, and that's okay.

Because on this show

we're all about transparency.

Now, despite what most

networks want you to believe,

your television is not there to

coddle you,

nor is it there to provide

mindless escapism.

- What is going on?

- He's ad-libbing, is what's going on.

- Is this a surprise?

- All right, get me in his ear.

Adam, get on script.

It's a liability issue and we

signed off on the warning.

Long before the Internet...

- Okay, he's moving. Let's follow him.

- Your TV...

- Son of a b*tch.

- Was invented to connect us,

to bring us together,

to create a shared communal

experience, and now...

now all it does is lie to you.

But we're about to change

that tonight.

Cue audience applause.

I could explain to you what's

gonna happen next, but it's...

it's probably best

just to show you.

Introducing our first guest

ever...

- This is Sara Hickey.

- Cue VCR.

From Hope Township, New Jersey.

Have a look.

Stage lights.

I married Bill

when I was very young.

He was sweet and charming,

told funny jokes.

He reminded me of my father.

Which was probably a bad thing.

It wasn't long before Bill

became violent towards me.

But things got much worse...

when Bill began

molesting Emily...

our daughter.

I tried leaving him, trust me.

It's impossible when there's

no money for a new life.

But I'll know that

I made an effort

to rescue my little girl.

How will

your suicide rescue her?

You'll see.

Cue applause.

Ladies and gentlemen.

After tonight,

Sara Hickey ill never have

a chance at a new life.

But her daughter could.

With your aid.

If you'd like to donate money

to Emily Hickey,

please text the number that

will soon appear on your screen.

Number? We don't-- we don't have a number.

We never discussed this.

Relax, we got a text system

set up for our talent shows.

Call the networks.

- Tell them to turn on premium.

- Copy that.

All proceeds will be matched

by the WBC network

up to $100,000.

F*** off!

That's not true!

It is now.

Ladies and gentlemen,

let's show Sara Hickey

that her sacrifice tonight

won't be in vain.

- Cue on one.

- Yes, sir.

House lights fade.

Yeah.

What if she chickens out?

We play as a redemption story,

okay? Oh, and by the way,

great work on that video.

All right, now please

let me watch this.

It is lights out, my prince.

What the f***?

Oh, come on.

Keller, play the emotions.

- Zack, how much money did we raise so far?

- Start on three.

$29...

no, $30,000.

Show me the audience.

- Give me a close-up on 2.

- $45,000.

- Should I play redemptive music?

- No. Adam,

don't come out yet.

Okay, okay.

Okay, I'll wait.

Emily.

I'm doing this for you.

I'm sorry.

I don't want to rot in jail

for the rest of your life.

They'll find your dad's body

in our garage.

Oh!

She did it.

Good girl.

Pull out! Jesus

Christ, pull out!

Flicker the lights.

Thank you for watching

This Is Your Death.

Life is precious.

Make the most of it.

See you next week.

And... cut to commercial.

Everyone's phones still off?

Yeah.

Congratulations.

You just cost the

network $100,000.

We raised $100,000?

$200,000 actually.

But we only had to

match up to $100,000.

Wait, wait, wait. So we just

gave that girl $300,000?

- Yes.

- Wow!

That's good!

Is this show now about money?

No, this is a show about giving

girls like that a future.

By killing her mother.

Sara died of her own volition

after consulting a trained

psychiatrist and physician,

and, because of it, she bettered

the life of her daughter.

That's right.

By killing herself.

No, by showing people

that not everybody on TV

is rich and pretty

and living the American dream.

By killing herself.

Yes, Sylvia, by killing herself.

Look, not everything in this

world deserves a happy ending.

Sophocles knew this.

Euripides knew this.

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