Mockumentary III - The Search for Stories (Read 8,507 times)

[fluffysmom]

I miss Victor Webster. I'm glad you brought him back for a couple stories. Sounds like the best visit to WalMart ever!

[André DiMera]

This Man

JEN LILLEY: Should I wear police clothes?
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): No, what you've got on is fine. You're supposed to be undercover.
JEN LILLEY: Right okay.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Okay everybody. Places. Action!
Jen knocks on the door of Jack and Jennifer's house. Missy opens the door.
MELISSA REEVES: Theresa, what are you...?
Missy begins laughing.
JEN LILLEY: What?
MELISSA REEVES (laughing): Behind you.
Jen turns around to see Charles Shaughnessy pointing a gun at he head. She begins laughing.
CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Cut! Okay, let's take it from the top.
Charles goes back into the bushes and Missy closes the door.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Action!
Jen knocks on the door. Missy opens the door and immediately begins laughing. Jen turns around and begins laughing as Charles stands, gun in hand, with his arm at a right angle.
CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY: They call me Bond. James Bond.
The whole cast starts laughing.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Cut!
CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for holding up the show everybody. I promise, I'll behave now. Just had to get it out of my system.

SOUNDTRACK
“Wisemen” by James Blunt

INTRODUCTION
ANDRE DIMERA (Writer): At the time this story was written, I had become interested in an internet hoax known as “This Man”, or “Ever Dream This Man?”. The idea being that there was a man who kept appearing in random people's dreams, usually as a benevolent figure. There's even a website about it. In truth, it's all a hoax created by some independent film company as a viral marketing campaign for a movie they're trying to sell. But, the idea piqued my interest, and that's where I came up with this story.

THE STORY
ANDRE DIMERA: I was very upset that Days had let go Matthew Ashford and killed off Jack. Just as he had gotten his family back, they had to go and kill him. So, the first thing that I did was rewrite the story so that Jack was alive, but paralyzed.
MATTHEW ASHFORD (Jack Deveraux): Coming back to Days was great. I had missed working with all of the people on the show, plus I'd never gotten the chance to work with Casey (Moss), who plays my TV son, so it was nice to have some scenes with him. He's a great addition to the team. When I read the script, I knew I'd made the right choice in coming back. It was such a different type of story to do. And, it's based on a hoax put out by some indie movie company. I didn't even know that this was a thing, the idea of people sharing dreams. It was so interesting.
ANDRE DIMERA: This was also around the time that J.J. had first appeared as a teen on the show, and he had a bit of a bad boy image. Theresa, or Jeannie, had also just recently showed up as a young lady with an edge. I wanted to kind of flip that story around a little bit.
JEN LILLEY (Jeannie “Theresa” Donovan): The idea of Jeannie being undercover is brilliant. I know that she's done some awful things, and this doesn't excuse those, but I'm glad that she was only bad so that J.J. and the other druggies wouldn't catch on to the fact that she's an ISA agent in training. I think that's a great story!
CASEY MOSS (Jack “J.J.” Deveraux, Jr.): At the time, J.J. was being a total brat. I know he's gotten better now, but he was pretty bad when he first showed up. Lying to his mom all the time, doing drugs, stealing. He's an interesting character to play, but I'm glad that he finally gets caught in this story. It's always great to work with Kate (Mansi) and Missy (Reeves), but I was so glad that I finally got to work with my TV dad. Matt (Ashford) is great! He's a wonderful guy to work with.
MATTHEW ASHFORD: This is one of the few times that we've seen Jack be a serious parent. I know he's got a dark history, but in more recent years, he's always been portrayed as comedic relief. I think it's nice that Jack does have a serious side, and it's good to see it every now and then.
ANDRE DIMERA: This all, of course, is intertwined with the idea of people having strange dreams about a figure known only as This Man.
BURN GORMAN (Ben Harper/This Man): I have worked on soaps before. I did a three episode arc in Coronation Street, and an episode of EastEnders, both of which are British soaps. It was interesting coming to America and doing a show like Days. The character, or characters I play, because I technically play two, are very interesting. Ben is just this unassuming guy who's in one of Marlena's classes. This Man is sort of weird and mystical, you never really know what he's all about. Either way, it was interesting. The cast were all great, very welcoming. It was a good time.
MATTHEW ASHFORD: In the end, of course, This Man is just a hoax. It's always been a hoax. But still, there's that little bit in there that leaves you wondering if it could happen. I don't think it could, of course, but you never know.

[Kpatch]

I never knew Charles Shaughnessy is such a jokester!

It's always great to see Matt back. I wish we had him on air now.

[fluffysmom]

LOL at Charles Shaughnessy's pranks.

I'm glad Matt and Casey were able to work together.

[André DiMera]

Urban Legends

FREDDIE SMITH (as Sonny): This is the story of Black Angus...I mean Agnes. Shoot!
Everyone laughs.
FREDDIE SMITH: I'm sorry, everybody. I was thinking about dinner. Catering was good to us tonight.
Everyone continues laughing.
FREDDIE SMITH: Can we try that again? I even forgot to say “legend”. I said “story”.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHoruglass): Okay. Take two.
FREDDIE SMITH: Okay.
Freddie clears his throat.
ANDRE DIMERA: Action!
FREDDIE SMITH (as Sonny): I have a story. The legend of Black Agnes, also known as Black Angie
Everyone laughs again.
FREDDIE SMITH: I mean, Aggie.
Everyone laughs.
FREDDIE SMITH: Believe this or not ladies and gentlemen, I have read the script.
Freddie laughs.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Okay. Let's try it again.
FREDDIE SMITH: Okay. I'm sorry.
ANDRE DIMERA (of MyHourglass): Not a problem. Take three. Action!

SOUNDTRACK
“Private Reflection” by Kevin MacLeod

INTRODUCTION
ANDRE DIMERA (Writer): When I was about ten, I was in my dad's garage watching the TV while walking on the treadmill. He had on The Learning Channel, or TLC. The show was a series about different modern day folk tales, and explanations as to why they were or were not true. It was called “Urban Legends Revealed”. I became fascinated by this show and watched it on a weekly basis, until a few years later when it went off the air. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find it online about two years ago. This story is made up of several mini-stories. Each of the legends told here are based heavily on some of my favorite urban legends.

THE STORY
ANDRE DIMERA: I find some of the strangest things fascinating. This includes urban legends. Before I could have any legends, I knew that I needed a framing device. There had to be something to connect all these legends together. Hence why I decided to do a story-within-a-story format that we see, with all of the teens/young adults gathered around the campfire.
RACHEL MELVIN (Chelsea Brady): The story that I got to tell was that of the ghost hitchhiker. I'd heard of similar stories, but not this exact one. It' was creepy! Don't get me wrong, it was fun to tell, but the story itself is just creepy! I don't believe in ghosts or anything, so I know it's not real. I really enjoyed coming back for this story. It was a lot of fun! Everyone got to tell great stories!
KYLE LOWDER (Brady Black): I came back for this story, and loved it! Getting to work with everybody again, and working with the newer cast, the one's that came on after I left, it was just great! Plus, getting to stay out late and tell scary stories was awesome! I love doing stuff like that. The kidney heist story is one that I've heard many times. It's a fairly old legend. I think the funniest thing is that they actually have a hotline for people who are victims and that they've never gotten any calls! Stuff like that is great!
SHELLEY HENNIG (Stephanie Johnson): That beehive hairdo that I had in the legend! Ugh! That was worse than the time wardrobe went psychotic and made me wear bumpits for an entire year and a half! I'm only half-joking. It was fun to be back. I always love coming back to Days and doing stories, especially these kinds of stories. It was nice to get to work with everybody again. But, seriously, that hairdo was something else.
THAAO PENGHLIS (Killer in Drag): The crazy killer dressed in drag pretending to be an old lady. That was a fun story. Not the first time I've had to dress in drag, either. I recall once on the show when André (the character) dressed in drag to sneak into the hospital. Although the script doesn't refer to him that way, I'd like to think that the killer I was playing in this story was André. I miss playing him, and Tony, too. So, it was nice to come back for a day to shoot that portion of the story.
CASEY MOSS (Jack “J.J.” Deveraux, Jr.): The idea of the gun-totting granny is hilarious! I love that story! It's so good! Peggy (McCay) was great in that scene. She's a great person to work with. She just lights up the room. And, believe me, she's as nice as Caroline, but she's also just as tough. I'm glad we were only acting. I just loved this story!
GABRIELLA RODRIGUEZ (Gabi Hernandez): I came back to do one chapter as Gabi. I know Camilla (Banus) did most of the chapters as Gabi, but I came back specifically for the “Black Aggie” chapter. It was nice to be back. I'm glad I got to work with Taylor (Spreitler) again. That story, though, it's chilling. I know it's fake, but it's crazy. I had fun with it, though.
ANDRE DIMERA: In the end, I think it's all up to the viewer's interpretation. Which is real and which isn't? A couple of them really depend on your belief, or lack thereof, in ghosts. Some of them are, in fact true. Quite a few of them are false, though. So, why do they persist? Why have they become engrained into our culture? I think it's because we as humans like to tell stories like these. A lot of them deal with cosmic justice, or injustice. But there's also the “what if” factor. That little bit that keeps you coming back, wondering, “are these just tall tales? Or are some of them mostly true?”

[fluffysmom]

The urban legends were fun and scary at the same time.

[Kpatch]

I liked hearing your own backstory André DiMera!

[André DiMera]

Previews

Next week...
JAMES SCOTT: Redoing this story was certainly interesting.

More behind the scenes...
LAUREN BOLES: It was so cool!

More reflections...
ARIANNE ZUCKER: He was a great man.

More drama...
ALLISON SWEENEY: It was disturbing.

All this and more next week on THE SEARCH FOR STORIES
LIANA LIBERATO: One word: Fantastic!

[fluffysmom]

Thanks for the previews André DiMera.

[Kpatch]

I'm pretty sure I know what Alison is talking about when she said it's disturbing.

[André DiMera]

Days of Blackadder's Life

SOUNDTRACK
“Blackadder” Theme by Howard Goodall

INTRODUCTION
ANDRE DIMERA (Writer): Some stories just happen when you think about them. Some take a few days or weeks to come up with the idea for. And then, there are the ones that don't. This one was one of these for a long time. I started off with a small idea, the idea of doing a crossover between Days and the British historical comedy Blackadder. And then, the idea just sort of stopped. I wanted to do one, but I had to come up with a story for it, I couldn't just do one for the sake of doing one. There had to be a story that the characters of Blackadder could bring. So, I kind of left it for a while. It was stuck in what some people would refer to as Development Hell, a terrible place where ideas go if they've been waiting too long to get developed. Well, finally, I rescued this story from Development Hell when I thought of the perfect situation and reason as to why these characters showed up. It ended up being completely different to the story I had originally thought of and, in my opinion, a lot better.

THE STORY
ANDRE DIMERA: I think Blackadder is just hilarious! If you haven't seen it, then at least take a look. Just a warning though, it does contain quite a bit of language and several suggestive themes, so please do not watch it with children in the room! Either way, it's great. I got in contact with all of the main actors from the show, and they were delighted to do it.
ROWAN ATKINSON (Edmund Blackadder): Blackadder is a character I've been playing since the 1980s, and every time I do, it's something different. Whether it's the sniveling cowardly Prince Edmund from the first series, or the manipulative butler to the queen that we see here. I think Blackadder is a brilliant character to play. I was approached to do this story a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it until about...I think August of 2013 is when we got the script and started filming. And, yeah. It was brilliant.
JAMES SCOTT (E.J. DiMera): I remember the plan for the original story, and it was good. Having to redo the story once the official script got sent out a year or two later was certainly interesting. I only had a bit part in the original, but I was a main character in this version.
ROWAN ATKINSON: The lie that Blackadder comes up is preposterous. As if Her Majesty, the Queen would go so low as to having relations with Blackadder. But, his lies are always preposterous. That's what he does. He gets himself into a tough situation and then comes up with an implausible web of lies to get himself out of it. Which would be brilliant if it weren't so dastardly.
HUGH LAURIE (Sir George Colthurst St. Barleigh): I've dome American television before, but this was quite unlike any show I'd ever done. This was a serialized drama. It was so interesting to do. Working with all the old gang was great again. Rowan (Atkinson)'s a master as Blackadder. Tony (Robinson) is great as Baldrick. We've got a wonderful cast. And, being a guest on Days of Our Lives was spectacular. Everyone was great. They were very welcoming. We had the time of our lives.
JEANETTE CHARLES (Queen Elizabeth II): I've been playing the Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II since 1971. It is always a great honour to be asked to play the role. Every experience I have had portraying her has been grand. When asked if I would be interested in playing the role for this story, I was pleased to accept. I feel that this was a very different sort of story, but a fun one, nonetheless. I had a most excellent time and am very thankful for the opportunity.

RIK MAYALL
ANDRE DIMERA: There is one person that we would have liked to have in the interview with us. This was not possible because, sadly, he is no longer with us. Comedian and actor Rik Mayall has played my personal favorite recurring Blackadder character, Lord Flashheart, since 1986. He passed away last year. You will notice that there was no behind the scenes clip for this story after the title. This is because I was saving it for the end to showcase Rik Mayall. This is an extended version of his scene as Lord Flashheart. I ask again, please, do not let your children read this section of the story, as there is some heavily suggestive dialogue. I have put spoiler warnings around it to be safe. I hope you enjoy it!

SPOILER: Click to show

RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): It's me! Flash by name, Flash by nature! Hooray!
ALL: Hooray!
ROWAN ATKINSON (as Blackadder): Flash, where have you been?
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): Where haven't I been? Woof!
ROWAN ATKINSON (as Blackadder): It's just that I've been looking all over.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): You just couldn't stand not to be in my presence any longer, could you? Well, obviously I wasn't here with you. I was out saving a thousand people's lives all at once. The girls were all very grateful. Woof!
Rik thursts and winks at the camera.
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): I take it, Lord Blackadder, that this is your friend Lord Flashheart?
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): Friends? I didn't know we were friends, Blacky. Then again, with all thousand girls to save, must've slipped my mind.
ROWAN ATKINSON (as Blackadder): Yes, quite.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): No, but of course, I jest. Old slackbladder and I have been friends since university.
Rik punches Rowan in the stomach. Rowan doubles over.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): He went into the study of being a stupid git. And I went into the study of babe-ology!
ROWAN ATKINSON (as Blackadder): Yes, that's quite enough, Flash.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): So, for what reason was I called here? Aside from not being able to go two seconds without having my magnificence surround you?
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): We were hoping, Lord Flashheart, that you'd be able to clear up some rumors for us.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): Well, I'll do my best. And all the rumors you've heard about me are completely and totally true. I am the most devilishly handsome man in the kingdom. Just ask anyone!
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): Very well. Putting that aside, we have heard rumors of a child between myself and Lord Blackadder. Seeing as you are Lord Blackadder's best and closest friend, would you be able to confirm or deny these rumors?
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): What? A kid between you and Blacky? That's impossible! No one would ever stoop that low, especially not Your Majesty.
ROWAN ATKINSON (as Blackadder): What?
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): And you have this on good authority, then? There is no way that Lord Blackadder and I could have a child?
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): Let me ask you something, Queenie. You're not blind, are you?
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): No.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): Then, most definitely not! You and slackbladder having a kid would be like me having a kid with that awful wife of Charlie's. And before you ask, I'm talking about the one he didn't kill. I would have had a kid with the first one in a heartbeat. Woof! Woof!
JEANETTE CHARLES (as Queen): Well, thank you very much for clearing that up, Lord Flashheart.
RIK MAYALL (as Flashheart): No problem. Anything for Your Majesty. But, I've gotta go. All thousand of those girls I saved are still thanking me. Next time you all get bored with you lives, give me a call, and I'll come 'round and kill you! Now, let's dooooo it!!!

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad you were able to bring the casts together for this story.

[André DiMera]

A Zack Brady Christmas

GARRETT GRAY: Welcome to Garrett and Spencer's video diaries. I'm Garrett.
SPENCER GRAY: I'm Spencer.
GARRETT GRAY: And for the first time in nearly four or five years, we're back on the set of Days of Our Lives.
SPENCER GRAY: At the moment, we're shooting a Christmas story which is set in an alternate timeline where our character, Zack, never died.
GARRETT GRAY: We end up playing sort of a Charlie Brown type character.
SPENCER GRAY: And we switch off on who's playing Zack every other scene.
GARRETT GRAY: On even numbered days, I play Zack.
SPENCER GRAY: And on odd numbered days, I play Zack.
GARRETT GRAY: Well, it looks like the director is coming in now, so we've gotta go shoot a scene.
SPENCER GRAY: Hope you enjoy the story!

SOUNDTRACK
“Wonderful Christmastime” written by Paul McCartney, played by thez5
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” played by Josh Ross, based on the Mannheim Steamroller version
“Silent Night” by Mannheim Steamroller

INTRODUCTION
ANDRE DIMERA (Writer): Christmas is, without doubt, my favorite time of the year. It's just spectacular. I love the music, the atmosphere, everything about it, especially the movies and television specials that come on every year. One of my all-time favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas. So, in 2013, when it was time for me to be writing a Christmas story, having already adapted my two favorite Christmas movies, I knew exactly what I should adapt next.

THE STORY
ANDRE DIMERA: With the story being based on A Charlie Brown Christmas, lots and lots of the dialogue had to be based on it. I think that some of the dialogue does come straight from the original special, with a few changes, such as names of the characters.
GARRETT GRAY (Zack Brady): It's interesting come back to Days. The last time Spencer (Gray, Garrett's twin) and I were there, we were nine. At the time of shooting this Christmas story, we were both thirteen. It was really cool to come back to this kind of story, especially since it's an adaptation of such a well-loved story. It's interesting, I think, how Zack in this story is a lot like Charlie Brown, even to the extent where the characters refer to him by his full name. That was a nice touch.
SPENCER GRAY (Zack Brady): When we first started as Zack, Garrett (Gray) and I were babies. Babies can only be on screen for about twelve minutes at a time, so they'd constantly be switching us out. Since we're both thirteen, or we were when the story was shot, we just switched out every chapter. That's why there's a slight change in Zack's voice ever now and then. We're both really glad that we were asked back for this story. It was incredibly fun to do.
LAUREN BOLES (Ciara Brady): Ciara in this story is kind of like Sally, Charlie Brown's little sister. I think, on the normal show, Ciara is more like Lucy, though. Either way, playing this character in this kind of story, it was so cool!
JACOB RIPS (J.T. Reiber): Josh (Rips, Jacob's twin) and I were last on Days in 2005, so at the time we shot this, we hadn't been on screen in nearly eight years. We had a great time. It was a lot of fun to switch off every chapter with my brother.
JOSHUA RIPS (J.T. Reiber): Jacob (Rips) and I play a variation on the Linus character, so do the two guys who play Johnny. While the Kunitz twins played Johnny as Zack's best friend, Jacob and I played J.T. as the Biblical scholar. Jacob got to read the chapter from the Bible.
ANDRE DIMERA: One of the things that I like most about A Charlie Brown Christmas, and why I'm glad that it's still shown every year, is that it tells the true meaning of Christmas. There aren't very many shows that do that anymore, so I'm glad that we have Charlie Brown Christmas. All of the kids to great. I was exceptionally happy to welcome back both the Rips twins who play J.T., and the Gray twins who play Zack. It was wonderful to have them back on set. And, to all these kids, best of luck in whatever the future holds for them.

[fluffysmom]

I like hearing your thoughts about this story André DiMera.

[André DiMera]

Forgive Me, Father

SOUNDTRACK
“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3” by Pink Floyd
“Here I Am Lord” by John Michael Talbot
“On Eagles Wings” by Michael Joncas
“Amazing Grace” by Celtic Women

INTRODUCTION
ANDRE DIMERA (Writer): One of my favorite storylines was Marlena's Possession. I know that it was, and still is, a rather controversial story, but I loved it! So, this was kind of a sequel to that story in some respects.

THE STORY
ANDRE DIMERA: I wrote story at a time when I was very upset with what they were doing to Nicole and Eric. Eric was being horrible to Nicole, and at the time, she hadn't done anything. So, a big part of this story was partly for Nicole to get revenge, but do it in a way where it wasn't really Nicole, but the Devil.
GREG VAUGHAN (Eric Brady): I think Eric does geniunely feel bad for what he's said and done to Nicole. However, apologizing doesn't make everything better, it takes time. As much as I like playing Eric, I really didn't like it when Eric accused Nicole of raping him. So, I'm glad that, in this story, Eric sees the error of his ways, and what his treatment of Nicole has led to.
ARIANNE ZUCKER (Nicole Walker): Nicole is in a very vulnerable place at the beginning of this story. Her best friend has accused her of one of the most horrible crimes, which she didn't even do. Nobody else was willing to believe that she didn't do it, because she has a history of lying to get out of trouble. Eventually, she just shuts down emotionally, which leaves the Devil plenty of room to get in. Playing possessed Nicole, or NicDevil, as we called her, was so cool! I talked to Diedre (Hall) a lot before my first scene as NicDevil, since her character was possessed way back; and she was really helpful with it. I, of course, added my own spin to the character, as Nicole is a completely different person, but I tried to use a few of the mannerisms Diedre used when she was MarDevil.
ANDRE DIMERA: This story also features the return of a very obscure short lived character. I think, on the show, she was only in two, possibly three episodes all together. I am speaking of Madison, the teenage runaway, played by LeAnn Rimes. As short as it was, I found Madison's story so fascinating, and I wondered what ever became of her. So, I decided that this was the right script to add her into the mix. This was mostly just to tempt Eric, who had decided to leave the priesthood.
LEANN RIMES (Madison): Back in the late 90s, I was on Days for two episodes. I did a very brief storyline with Eric when he was played by Jensen Ackles. It was such an interesting show. I really loved that story, and I was thrilled to be back, this time working with Greg Vaughan as Eric. It was great.
ANDRE DIMERA: Then, comes the redemption of Theresa, a character who I had really wanted to like, but could never quite bring myself to like in the show, just because she was so horrible! So, I wrote in a short side story where Tony DiMera returns from the dead, becomes the new head of H.R. at the hospital, and fires Theresa. This leads to her eventual redemption, and help with the plot to give Nicole and exorcism.
THAAO PENGHLIS (Tony DiMera): Even though he doesn't actually know her, I believe that Tony does care for Theresa. He doesn't fire her to be nasty, he fires her because it's what's best for the hospital. I think the speech he gives to Theresa was very well written. I liked doing that scene. Also, I'm glad that Tony gives her another chance after she shows that she can be a good person.
JEN LILLEY (Theresa Donovan): As much fun as it is to play Theresa as a bad girl, I thought it was a refreshing change to play a softer Theresa. I kinda wish that would happen more on the show. Plus, it was great to work with Thaao (Penghlis). I really think Theresa wants to be a good person, she just doesn't always know it.

RALPH WAITE
ANDRE DIMERA: Ralph Waite. Ralph Waite was...he was a wonderful addition to the cast.
ARIANNE ZUCKER: He was a great man. He really was. He was always so nice and kind. I looked forward to doing scenes with him every time that a script with me and him in it came.
GREG VAUGHAN: Most of my scenes in my early days on the show, when not with Ari (Zucker) or Ali (Sweeney) were with Ralph (Waite). He was great in the role of Eric's mentor, as well as a great friend to all who were fortunate enough to know him.
ANDRE DIMERA: Sadly, Ralph Waite passed away during the shooting of this story. He died before completing all of his scenes, so I did a quick rewrite and wrote him out. This was a...a very tough decision for me to make, as I really liked Father Matt, and I've loved Ralph Waite's work ever since I saw him in a rerun of The Waltons. As you will see, there is no behind the scenes feature at the beginning of today's chapter. This is because I decided to leave it until the end of the chapter, to honor Ralph Waite. This is an extended version of one of his scenes. I hope you enjoy.

RALPH WAITE (as Matt): You wished to see me, Father Eric?
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): Yes, I did. Father Matt, please sit down.
Ralph sits down in the seat across the table from Greg.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): You look troubled, my son. Is something bothering you?
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): I have to do something...something that is very hard to do.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): Well, what is it?
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): I have come to a decision recently. Given what has happened lately, I feel that it is only right that I step down from my position as a priest.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): Eric, this is a big decision. Are you sure that this is the right choice?
Greg hesitates.
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): It's what I have to do.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): Eric...
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): Please, don't think I am making this decision lightly. I have thought long and hard about this. And, I'm very sorry, Father Matt, but I have to do this.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): I see. Though I am not happy with your decision, it is, of course, yours to make.
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): Thank you, Father.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): We shall miss you in the priesthood. I'm very worried about you, Eric. You're like a son to me.
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): That's very kind of you.
Greg takes off his clerical collar and hands it to Ralph.
GREG VAUGHAN (as Eric): It has been a privilege serving with you. And please, say a prayer for me.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): I will.
Eric stood up.
RALPH WAITE (as Matt): Eric, should you ever need anything, my door is always open.
Greg nods and walks out. Ralph looks at the clerical collar that was handed to him.