THE LEGACY OF ABUSE, IT STOPS WITH US - Todd & Vicki & Larry
Vicki’s therapist, under Carlo’s direction, has been hypnotizing her to kill her son, Kevin. It finally comes to a head and Vicki could not pull the trigger. She is now at the hospital with Larry awaiting another doctor to help her in the aftermath of what has happened. Todd joins them. This scene really captures Todd’s caustic wit, how he loves making people think he is the bad guy and yet the same time he shows tremendous compassion to his sister. All during the scene with Larry, Todd is playing with him and being very sarcastic. Larry of course doesn’t understand his humor or why he’s really there, which is for his sister. But he has fun messing with Larry’s mind. When Larry leaves, although he plays a bit with Vicki, his tenderness shines through. And he is quite adamant at the end of the scene about the legacy of abuse and that it will end with he and his sister.
LARRY: (he is in the middle of comforting Vicki as they wait for the doctor to help deprogram her) Now, I think it might be a good idea before he gets here that you just take on a more positive attitude and stay calm.
TODD: (comes bounding into the lounge) There you are. So is it true? I heard Annie Oakley got into a little bit of trouble. (she closes her eyes and sighs, at her brothers humor)
Scene break
VICKI: Todd! Well, what are you doing here?
TODD: Well Blair’s planning a little charity event for my favorite cause, (his hand over his heart) sick little kids and I need some photogenic types to pull on everybody’s heartstrings so that they’ll give me their money. (Vicki stares at him, he continues sarcasticly) So are there any sickly youngsters you can point me to, doctor?
LARRY: I heard about this earlier, I’ll look around.
TODD: You do that. So any way I’m here and I’m waiting and I heard what happened. (to Vicki) You know you’re a little.......Whooo! (makes a crazy in the head gesture) It’s a big hit with the nurses station. (Larry looks at him with his mouth agape)
VICKI: Oh boy, you have a nose for news.
TODD: Well it’s....it’s a family curse. Your therapist has an interesting technique. Trying to get the patient to blow her kid’s brains out.
LARRY: (shoves him back to the door) That’s enough. Come on, get out of here!
VICKI: (at the same time Larry is speaking) Oh, shut up, Todd! (refereeing) Larry! Larry it’s alright. Believe it or not, he’s here because he’s worried about me and I appreciate that.
LARRY: Alright, I’ll...I’ll check on a couple of patients. (he puts his hand on her shoulder in comfort) I’ll be back as soon as Dr. Millstein gets here.
VICKI: Thank you.
LARRY: (turning to Todd) Yeah, we do have a lot of seriously needy children in this hospital. (he starts to leave, Todd stops him, he can’t resist)
TODD: (up to his face) Great. Look any of `em foreign, cause that would really be the best, you know. If we could get them foreign and then I could take their picture but you know I am gonna need to be able to pronounce their names. (Larry shakes his head looks back at Vicki and with his hands gestures in hopelessness, he then shoves Todd comically on his back to get him out of his way, so he can leave)
VICKI: You’re gonna exploit sick kids for a party?
TODD: (dropping the act he did with Larry) No, I’m not gonna exploit.....I’m gonna exploit the rich people to get their money to give to the sick kids. (changing the subject) You know I guess I don’t have the sixth sense for news, here’s a great story right under my nose and I didn’t even see it. Off the record Vicki, why would your shrink get you to try and kill Kevin.
VICKI: I think Carlo forced him to do it.
TODD: Why? What, because of the articles in the banner? Now I am insulted, the...the Sun was ten times nastier to him in the banner and he never tried to hypnotize me.
VICKI: (pointedly) You didn’t kill Carlo’s son. (Todd’s mouth drops and his eyebrow goes up)
Scene break
VICKI: (explaining how it came to happen) He was trying to kidnap Tina and her life was in danger so I.....well not really me, Nicki shot him.
TODD: Well did the judge give ‘Nicki’ a medal?
VICKI: No. No, the court decided I was acting in my sister’s defense.
TODD: But Carlo doesn’t see it like that?
VICKI: Hardly. After all these years the hatred behind his eyes is still unmistakable. (she plops down in a chair)
TODD: And so he sent you Elliot Durban, the Trojan psychiatrist.
VICKI: And I opened the door, WIDE. (throws her head back) Did I ever let him in. A nice warm smile, and some soothing psychopath and I was his. (her hand to her head in frustration) To be that naive, I am equally as responsible for what happened to Carlo....
TODD: Whoa, whoa....don’t...don’t even say that! (looks back to the door) Especially not around here. What...what if Bo Buchanan heard you and agreed with you, you’d be facing attempted murder. And this time, this time it might just stick.
Scene break
VICKI: Maybe jail is exactly what I deserve.
TODD: (trying to make it light) No...no you wouldn’t like it. There’s no maid service. The food is lousy and I don’t think you could deal with all those women wearing the same dress. (she shakes her head with a smile) Look it’s not as if the idea to kill your kid just popped into your head. I mean, you have an excuse.
VICKI: I always have an excuse!! Don’t you think it’s maybe time to lose the excuses and look at the deed?
TODD: Oh look Vicki, if you don’t want your excuses give `em to me! I would love to be able to hang all my rage on some wandering hypnotist!
VICKI: (she drops her purse and puts her hands on her hips) Todd!! I didn’t need Elliot to introduce me to my anger. My alters may have been in control but it was MY rage that killed Johnny Dee and MY rage that killed our father. So maybe it is just time for me to admit that I will never escape this...this, (sits on couch) violence that obviously lives inside me.
TODD: Well, where does that leave me??
VICKI: YOU??? Who cares! This isn’t about you.....
TODD: I care about me! Look if you want to compare criminal histories, it’s no contest. I...I could kill a guy just by dropping my police record on his head! Look, you were the one that told me that....that I should forget about my past. And now you’re telling me that you....you can’t escape the violence? And I was just starting to believe you. (he sits next to her, dropping the jokes and getting serious) Look, when I first came to town, I didn’t even want to touch my child...I was so scared that I was going to hurt her the way I hurt everybody else. And you told me that I was wrong. And I was wrong. And now when I look at this....(looks down as if to see her) child, tiny, perfect and she laughs. (he smiles) And I’m not scared anymore, because I know that she’s not scared of me. I could never HURT THIS child. And you couldn’t either, Vicki. (determined, pointedly) So, this legacy of ABUSE, it stops with US!
LARRY: (he pops in the doorway) Excuse me, Vicki. Dr. Millstein’s here. You ready? (she looks back to Todd and they share a look of complete understanding)