Head Writer: Pat Falken Smith

 

Script Writer: Sheri Anderson

 

TEASER ACT...A PROJECTION ROOM IN ATHENS.

 

(PLUSH, VERY DARK. WE HEAR TONY DIMERA'S VOICE, BUT CAN NOT MAKE OUT THE TWO FIGURES SITTING IN THE COMFORTABLE CHAIRS. THE SCREEN IS BLANK AT THE MOMENT)

 

TONY: That is the story as I know it, father. The whole story. If you want our family to succeed in establishing roots in America, you must sacrifice Stuart Whyland. I know you need time to think about it. Let's roll the film while you consider what I have told you.

 

(TONY LEANS FORWARD AND PRESSES A BUTTON ON THE CONSOLE. AND FILM CLIPS FROM THE PARTY HE GAVE NEW YEAR'S EVE APPEAR ON THE SCREEN. PEOPLE ARE TALKING, BUT THERE IS NO SOUND. NOTE: SHOW ONLY THE CHARACTERS WHO ARE IN THIS EPISODE. AVOID CAMERA CUTS WITHIN THE FILM).

 

TONY: I had hidden cameras at my New Year's Eve party so that I could get closeups of the women I felt were worthy candidates for the DiMera family. When you see an interesting face, tell me. And I'll freeze frame the action.

 

(THEY WATCH IN SILENCE FOR A MOMENT AS WE INTERCUT FROM TONY AND STEPHANO TO THE FEMALE FACES WE WANT IN THE LIVING ROOM OF THE WHYLAND MANSION)

 

STEPHANO: That one.

 

(TONY PUSHES A BUTTON TO FREEZE FRAME ON MARLENA EVANS)

 

TONY: Marlena Evans. An eminent lady psychiatrist at the Medical Center.

 

STEPHANO: Beautiful.

 

TONY: And capable of having children.

 

(HE PUSHES A BUTTON TO RESUME THE FILM. SILENCE AS THEY WATCH THE ACTION OF THE PARTY. INTERCUT AS NEEDED)

 

STEPHANO: That one.

 

(TONY PUSHES A BUTTON TO FREEZE FRAME. DO NOT SHOW SCREEN)

 

TONY: Mary Anderson. Majority stockholder in Anderson Manufacturing. Divorced. Available.

 

STEPHANO: Proceed.

 

(TONY PUSHES A BUTTON AND THE FILM CONTINUES, THE TWO MEN WATCHING IN SILENCE)

 

STEPHANO: That one.

 

(TONY PUSHES A BUTTON TO FREEZE FRAME ON JULIE WILLIAMS)

 

TONY: Unavailable.

 

STEPHANO: Her name.

 

TONY: Julie Williams. She is married to Doug Williams, who runs a large gambling casino on the lake.

 

STEPHANO: Julie Williams. She will be the one.

 

TONY: But I told you she's already taken.

 

STEPHANO: Nonsense. When I want a woman, it doesn't matter if she's taken or not.

ACT ONE...
 
PROJECTION ROOM IN ATHENS...
 
STEPHANO: Tell me about this Julie Williams.
 
TONY: There's not much to tell. I considered her unavailable.
 
STEPHANO: She reminds me of your mother when she was young. Does she have children?
TONY: A son, David Banning.
 
STEPHANO: The young man you told me about, the one Stuart put out a contract on, or so rumor has it.
 
TONY: No rumor, Father.
 
STEPHANO: The woman loves her son?
 
TONY: Of course.
 
STEPHANO: Then no doubt she would be grateful to us if we saved her son's life.
 
TONY: No doubt.
 
STEPHANO: I had made up my mind to turn you down, Tony. About Stuart. But the woman has changed my mind.
 
TONY: What about Lee DuMonde?
 
STEPHANO: Some women are for pleasure only.
 
TONY: How will you handle Stuart?
 
STEPHANO: Leave it to me. He is a wise man, and business is business. He understands that. If I ask him to take the blame for something, he will do it.
 
TONY: Things are different in America, Father. You cannot bribe judges, you cannot buy light prison sentences.
 
STEFANO: The country changes, men remain the same. Everywhere. Remember that, Tony. Now, let us proceed with the film.
 
TONY: I thought you found the woman you wanted.
 
STEPHANO: I have. But a man musn't be selfish. We have your younger brothers to think about, too. Let me see what else the fair city of Salem has to offer.
 
(AND TONY PRESSES A BUTTON TO ROLL FILM AGAIN)
 
TONY: What price, American citizenship.
 
STEPHANO: Speaking of which, how is your charming wife, Liz?
 
TONY: Surprisingly affectionate of late. Is that your doing, Father?

 

STEPHANO: I don't think I understand.
 
TONY: Liz always was afraid of you. What did you do, ask her to be a good little wife to me?
 
STEPHANO: Would I do a thing like that?
 
TONY: Of course, you would.
 
STEPHANO: American citizenship is critical for all of us if we are to establish ourselves in the heartland of America. Do not take it lightly. We must secure a solid base, make certain no one with the proud name of DiMera is deported from our new country.
 
TONY: People get deported for committing criminal acts. We won't have that problem.
 
STEPHANO: Sometimes the past becomes the present.
 
TONY: Not if we don't let it. That's why Stuart has to go, Father. Because he's wrong. Not because you want to please a woman.
 
STEPHANO: Don't ever challenge my decision, Tony. Ever. Be grateful for this woman, Julie Williams. When you are right, I will support you. When you are wrong, having the name DiMera won't help you much. Business is business, it always comes first.
 
TONY: I'll remember that.
 
STEPHANO: Let me see her picture once more.
 
(TONY PUSHES A BUTTON AND JULIE'S CLOSEUP FLASHES ON THE SCREEN)
 
STEPHANO: Yes, she will be perfect.
 
TONY: Thank you, Julie Williams. I owe you one.

 

ACT TWO...
 
PROJECTION ROOM IN ATHENS...
 
(TONY AND STEPHANO WATCHING THE FILM AS TOM AND ALICE HORTON CHAT WITH TONY ON NEW YEAR'S EVE. INTERCUT TO USE ONLY THOSE FACES WE NEED)
 
TONY: These people are going to be very important to us. Doctor and Mrs. Thomas Horton. Fourth generation in America, a tradition for the family going into medicine. The grandparents of Mrs. Julie Williams.
 
STEPHANO: Ah...very good. David Banning is their great-grandson.
 
TONY: Yes, he is.
 
STEPHANO: How nice. A grateful set of grandparents.
 
TONY: Doctor Horton is very prominent at the Medical Center. He suspects that something is very wrong in the administrative end of the hospital.
 
STEPHANO: Can he make trouble?
 
TONY: He will if he finds anything wrong. The man who came in with Mary Anderson is Doctor Neil Curtis.
 
STEPHANO: I've heard Stuart mention the name.
 
TONY: He has a gambling problem.
 
STEPHANO: Which will make him very useful to us. I understand that Stuart paid off several gambling debts for Doctor Curtis.
 
TONY: When he met him out in California, yes.
 
STEPHANO: Interesting, isn't it? How a man's Achilles heel always makes him vulnerable.
 
TONY: Do you have one, Father? Besides women, I mean.
 
STEPHANO: I enjoy women, Tony. But I've never been a slave to a woman. There's a difference. No one ever got to me through a woman. Not after your mother left me. I'm very sorry about Stuart Whyland, you know. The man has been valuable to me, and extremely loyal.
 
TONY: He was skimming off the top of the monies we donated to the Medical Center.
 
STEPHANO: A tradition, nothing more. A man has to prepare for his old age. And I believe he has a son who's important to him.
 
TONY: Yes, there's a shot of the son now...Evan Whyland.
 
(DO NOT SHOW SCREEN)

 

STEPHANO: Chief of the new neurological wing.
 
TONY: You do your homework.
 
STEPHANO: I thought pride in his son would keep Stuart in line. I'm sorry I underestimated Stuart.
 
TONY: He ordered the death of a man named Alex Marshall, failed twice in carrying it out.
 
STEPHANO: Inexcusable.
 
TONY: Which? Ordering his death, or failing to carry it out successfully?
 
STEPHANO: Both. Stuart's from a different generation. Perhaps when he learns his lesson, he can be useful to us again.
 
TONY: That's your decision, of course.
 
STEPHANO: Learn to make friends, not enemies, Tony. It makes life so much easier.
 
(SUDDENLY ALERT)

SYEPHANO: Who's that girl?
 
(TONY FREEZES THE FRAME)
 
TONY: The one in the nurses' uniform?
 
STEPHANO: Yes. That's the kind of a girl I want in our family.
 
TONY: These are random shots taken at the Medical Center. Let me see...
 
(HE CONSULTS HIS NOTES)
 
TONY: Oh, yes. You wouldn't want to bother with this girl.
 
STEPHANO: Why not? She's very beautiful.
 
TONY: She's also the younger sister of Homicide Detective Roman Brady. Her name is Kayla.