TODD, TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ME - Todd & Marty
Marty has been spiraling downhill again. Luna’s death and her Aunt Kiki’s stealing her trust fund contributes to her sending her back to her old ways. She is drinking again, which with her lupus could lead to serious complications, but she is in her self destructive mode. Of all the people to help her and eventually break this cycle is none other than Todd. Todd is separated from Blair but oddly he comes to Marty’s rescue finding her drunk one night at Rodi’s and getting her to the hospital and then lying to cover for her to Larry. I think Malone loved his characters, especially these two, and could not help putting them together. I am very glad of that because I think their acting was stellar together, they fed off each other and were both fiercely protective of what their characters would never do together. There never could or would be a romance between the two but a very weird and yet believable co-existence between their characters was formed and I, for one, bought it because of these extremely talented actors. This takes place at the terrace of the country club where Marty is getting drunk, yet again, sucking down a margarita to drown her sorrows and Todd shows up.
TODD: (she is very tipsy leaning against the building when Todd enters and stands in back of her) Marty.
MARTY: (she sighs, without turning) Let me guess, I know the ending to that sentence. Marty, what’s wrong?
TODD: Why don’t you lose the drink. (she drinks)
MARTY: What am I...am I being rescued again. Oh no, I guess not, too late. (she takes another sip) Why don’t you go jump on that trusty steed of yours and gallop away cause I’m fine.
TODD: (he takes the drink out of her hand) I don’t think so. And my steed’s in the shop so my limo will just have to do. Now we can either drop by your place, or the doctor’s, you decide. (he stares at her, she nods and smiles)
Scene break
TODD: I take you home in my limo or you go see a doctor, what’s it going to be?
MARTY: (she laughs) Get a life, Todd. I go where I want, I do want I want, and I don’t take orders from you. (she crosses a few steps away)
TODD: Oh yeah right, you’re a real independent chic, huh? You get to choose which bar you get drunk in.
MARTY: One more drink is not going to kill me.
TODD: Yeah, well that’s not what the doctors say who’s treating your lupus. (sips her drink)
MARTY: (belligerent) Look, I just got some bad news, okay?
TODD: (takes another sip of her drink) What
MARTY: Like when did we get joined at the hip? Just back off.
TODD: (sarcastic) Hey, friends don’t let friends drive drunk, Marty.
MARTY: (nasty back at him) Well then you’re off the hook, because we’re not friends.
TODD: You’re breaking my heart. (he turns to go) Come on, let’s go.
MARTY: (she turns to look at him) For your information, I’m meeting a friend, a real friend, so you can skip this little Lancelot bit, I will be fine. (she goes and sits at one of the tables)
TODD: Yeah, I know you will. (he turns and sits at the table next to hers)
MARTY: (watching him) What do you think....... What are you doing?
TODD: Just sitting here waiting for your friend, that’s all. (he sips the drink)
Scene break
TODD: (she has gotten another drink in front of her and sips, he taps the table impatiently) So, when is this friend of yours supposed to show up?
MARTY: We left it kinda loose.
TODD: (deeply sarcastic, staring straight ahead) Oh yeah, I bet you did. You know all this drinking’s getting to you kid, you used to be a heck of a liar. This is pretty pathetic.
MARTY: I could care less of what you...
TODD: You know I had an imaginary friend once, course I was five at the time. You keep sitting there getting pounded, feeling sorry for yourself, you’ll start seeing things soon. You know, pick elephants, little plastic flamingos.....
MARTY: Go to hell, Todd.
TODD: Been there. (looks at her, pointedly) I done that. Thought you did too. I don’t see why you’d want to go back, for him.
MARTY: (incredulous) What are you talking about
TODD: Dylan Moody. Tell you the truth, I glad you dumped that hick. Oh yeah, he’s got nice big shoulders to lean on (looks at her) but he’s not for you. He’s smooth around the edges, you, you’re sharp, you’re smart, complicated, you can walk and talk at the same time. Better off with out him.
MARTY: (talking over him) What is this? Excuse me. Oh, I get it. Cause you publish this new rag, newspaper thing, you think you can give advice to the lovelorn.
TODD: (looks at her) Yeah, why not? I know what it’s like to throw myself at the wrong person. All you do is end up bruised.
MARTY: Oh, that’s all I end up when I’m with you, so why don’t you just GET LOST before this terrible day gets even worse.
TODD: You keep drinking it’ll get worse real fast.
MARTY: (sighs in frustration, stands staggers a few steps away) You know what, I can take care of myself, it’s my problem.
TODD: (he stands and crosses behind her) You know I heard Dr. Wolek talking about your condition, you keep playing Russian roulette with your lupus you’re going to wind up back in ICU. Now come on let’s go. (he grabs her arm)
MARTY: (she flinches at his touch) Leave me alone. (she backs away a step) I swear to you Todd, if you don’t stay away from me I will kill you. (pointing at him)
TODD: No you won’t. You’re too busy killing yourself. (he crosses up to get the margarita) But hey, you’re that determined, I’ll tell you what, why don’t you stop wasting everybody’s time, go ahead, finish it. (hands the drink to her)
Scene break
MARTY: (lost first words).....don’t you? (she crosses around him) So why don’t you stick to printing lies about people and stop trying to play the good Samaritan, (laugh) cause you know it really doesn’t suit you.
TODD: Don’t flatter yourself, this has got nothing to do with you.
MARTY: Oh! Oh! That’s right, I forgot! I’m supposed to stay clean and healthy so you can feel better about what you did to me!! Well guess what, it’s not my life’s work to make you feel better about yourself. (he stares at her, she is hitting the mark, she spies the waiter) Great, waiter! Yes, another margarita, lots of salt!
TODD: You really think I got nothing better to do?
MARTY: (she crosses up to sit again at her table) Oh well, go do it.
TODD: (his back to her) I can’t. Any more than the night that you could keep from helping me, that night I wanted to throw myself off the pier.
MARTY: (sighs, big frustration at his persistence) Oh, you know what? I am so sorry that I stopped you.
TODD: Oh, there we go. (he crosses up to his table puts down the drink and then goes to stand over her) There’s the Marty that I know! You know you keep talking about overcoming your past, you know getting on with your life, but you’re still the same crazy broad you always were.
MARTY: (getting angry) For your information I just found out that my dear old Aunt Kiki has been spending all the money that my parents left me. At this rate....
TODD: (cutting her off) So go ahead, do something. Throw her in jail.
MARTY: Like it’s that easy, you mean if someone hit’s you, you just hit back harder?
TODD: (eyebrow up, with smirk) Sometimes I hit ‘em first. Why don’t you try that?
MARTY: (she stands unsteady) What are you stupid!? You couldn’t possibly understand what it’s been like for me.
TODD: (he grabs her arm roughly, in her face) You think I’m the big dumb jock that I used to be, huh? Take a look at me, huh, I’ve changed. Not like you, same sympathetic coed that fell apart when that dumb jock wouldn’t spend the night with you to keep away the boogeyman. (she jerks away from him)
MARTY: Stop it.
TODD: (imitating, mocking her) Oh, Todd, please don’t go, oh no, I’m so sad....
MARTY: (Yelling) Stop it! (screaming) I MEAN IT TODD, STOP IT, NOT ONE WORD, ONE WORD!! (points at him)
TODD: (continuing, overlapping) ... I might hurt myself!
Scene break
MARTY: (they are standing apart staring at each other, calmer now) How’d you like it if I throw your old life back in your face?
TODD: You don’t have too. (slowly traces his scar) I carry around with me everyday. So what’s your excuse.
MARTY: That’s a lifetime ago. Before you and your frat brothers raped me. I’m not the person I was.
WAITER: (enters with her drink) Frozen with lots of salt.
TODD: (pays the waiter without taking his eyes off her, not taking the drink) Yeah, you’ve changed. The lady’s not thirsty.
MARTY: (she grabs her purse starts to leave) That’s it, you know, I’m out of here.
TODD: (turns as if she is going with him) About time.
MARTY: (she throws her purse in frustration) Without you! I was a fool!! I was a fool to forgive you for what you did to me. Cause you’re still doing it. You’re still a rapist. (her voice catching)
TODD: (stares coldly) What’s that supposed to mean, Marty?
MARTY: You stalk me wherever I go, you bully me, you never let up! It’s all about you and your power, Todd! When’s it gonna stop, huh? (yelling) When you gonna stop??
TODD: (cold, nasty) When you stop asking for it.
Scene break
MARTY: You still blame me for the rape, don’t you?
TODD: (tries to change the subject, nonchalant) Ah come on, Marty, I didn’t mean it.
MARTY: Yes, you did mean it. And you said I haven’t changed, huh? I’m Marty the party girl. What does that make you Todd?
(he turns and gives her an icy stare) All those hours of rape counseling, all that therapy, (he lowers his eyes) all the time in prison. Oh let’s not stop there, uh, all your millions from your new family that you belong to, (he turns away wiping his mouth) your fabulous success....nothing’s changed. You’re still the same disgusting animal....
TODD: (agitated, frustrated, he cuts her off) Alright! Look, I’m sorry I pressed the rewind button let’s just pretend that I never.....
MARTY: (she cuts him off, staggers past him) No, no wait. I think that you said it would do me good, to strike the first blow, so here I am, I mean let it all out, and I’m going to let it all out NOW!
TODD: (turns to her) Why bother? It’s all history. (tries to dismiss her) You’re drunk anyway.
MARTY: (she says something in Latin) And for all you calculus flunkies out there, it means gimme a drink, I’ll tell you exactly what I think of you. You think you’re ready for that?
Scene break
TODD: (lost first words) .....stroll down memory lane, especially with a lush. (he turns to try to go) Come on.
MARTY: Oh, you come on. COME ON! Tell me! You go first. Tell me how you feel about me, I mean everybody knows how I feel about you....
TODD: (cutting her off) You hate me. I could put it on the front page.
MARTY: Go ahead Todd, spit it out. You hate me. You hate me for EVERYTHING (he turns away in frustration) that’s gone wrong in your life, your miserable marriage, the fact that you have to spend your time HERE with the likes of ME....(his hand to his head, he’s becoming agitated, uneasy)
TODD: Let’s just drop this okay. (he walks away to avoid her)
MARTY: (she persists, she will not quit) No, I don’t think so, cause you started it by telling me that I asked to be raped!! Now there’s a lot of anger in there, Todd, let it out! (his back to her)
TODD: (low) If I let it out, Marty....
MARTY: (jumping on it, yelling) What, what would happen? You hate me, SAY IT! You’ve always hated me!
TODD: (over his shoulder to her, simply and meaning it) I don’t hate you, Marty! (he swallows, this is difficult)
MARTY: (she does not believe him) Oh, you are such a coward, no wonder the football team kicked you off, you can’t go the distance at anything.
TODD: I’m not gonna.....(small smirk, he makes up his mind to not let her get at him and crosses away not looking at her) You won’t do this. Alright if you won’t let me take you home then, I’ll go call your doctor, you are his problem now.
MARTY: Don’t you dare, you are not leaving me now. (Blair comes into view. Marty grabs his arm to stop him and she starts to lose her balance, he grabs her waist to keep her from falling, the touch is too intimate, she pulls away staring at him)
Scene break
MARTY: (he still lightly holding her arm, she wrests it away) Let go. (giggles) Oh, the last time I said that you went to prison.
TODD: If you won’t let doctor....(he sees Blair and stops his thought, then steps into Marty saying quietly and forcefully) You’re gonna see a doctor whether you like it or not. (he goes to leave and runs into Blair who has been watching the past couple lines)
