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EPISODE 1
"ECLIPSE"
SUMMARY:
1948
John Steinbeck (46) returns to the Lab on Cannery Row to mourn the loss of his best friend, Ed Ricketts (51) , who is involved in a tragic train accident. John's voice over takes us into his memories:
1930
At 28, John is an unsuccessful, aspiring writer. In an attempt to better himself, he isolates himself from his social circle but is now in need of a good, inspiring friend - someone beyond his wife, Carol who is also 28, has dedicated her time to working odd jobs for income so that John can write.
Ed, at 33, is a self-taught marine biologist and philosopher. He is being pursued by Xenia, an 18 year looking to have him take her virginity. He could use a good confidante and camarade while he navigates his love life.
The two men strike up a great friendship while the locations, tone, story arcs and characters are all set up and introduced.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS:
GABE (40's) the violently drunk vagabond who schemes Ed.
FRANKIE (7) the poverty stricken mute seeks Ed's protection from the street.
HORACE (32) pays off his debts with Mr. Won and then shoots himself to keep his kids (FRANKIE) from debt.
NAN (30) Stuck in an unhappy marriage with Ed, she raises the kids and maintains the house.
JACK CALVIN (30's) Ed's friend and editor, John's childhood nemesis.
SASHA CALVIN (20's) A bohemian artist, Ed's former lover, Jack's wife, and sister to Xenia and Tal.
BETH INGALLS (20's) Politically active, and pursuing an affair with Carol.
PEG (20's) Beth's lover who gets jealous when Beth pays Carol too much attention.
RITCHIE (20's) Looks up to Jack and John, wants to be a writer just like them. He is married to Tal.
TAL (20's) Sister to Xenia and Sasha, a friend to Carol and John. Married to Ritchie.
MR. WON (50's) Owner of local market, prolific bootlegger, loans money to everyone.
MRS. WON (50's) Suffers no fools, runs a tight ship, and has a heart for the children of the Row.
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EPISODE 2
"THE LAB"
SUMMARY:
1948
Phones ring across the country as various characters receive the news that Ed has been involved in a terrible train accident. All are in shock as they crowd the hospital to donate blood in an attempt to save Ed's life. John, who is in New York now with his 2nd wife, Gwyn, is especially shocked - he sets out immediately to get to California to see Ed in the hospital before he dies. John's VO takes us back into...
1930
Life on Cannery Row during the Depression is extremely hard. The suicide on the Row rattles everyone. John uses Ed's lab as a source of refuge and inspiration. Ed finds that John accepts his unconventional ways. Their friendship grows as a circle of friends develops at the Lab: The Lab Group, striving on cheap wine, music, open relationships, artistic exploration and mayhem.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Ed and Xenia's affair falters when the beautiful JEAN ARISS (20s) arrives on the scene.
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Jack and Sasha are moving to Alaska (distance from the Lab Group will be better for their marriage)
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Carol wants John to come out of his shell more.
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Carol is happily pregnant. She wants to prepare for having the baby come. John is distant.
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Carol wants to be more involved in political movements. John is not interested.
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Carol encourages John to make a goal of writing more novels than Hemingway (his idol).
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Carol takes a job at the Lab, trying to help prepare for the coming baby.
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Carol wants it all: Family, career, political life. But it is all on her to provide for this.
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John develops Beth's short stories into a collection for publication.
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Mr. Won deals with guilt over Horace's suicide.
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Gabe and the Boys take over Horace's now vacant shed as their home: "The Palace Flophouse"
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Ed and John watch as Gabe and the Boys treat George with disdain.
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Nan wants Ed to recognize how he is hurting her and the family. Ed wants Nan to accept him.
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John confesses to Carol that he knows he will not succeed as both a father and a writer.
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Carol wants to support John, decides to terminate the pregnancy.
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Ed helps Carol find a safe place to terminate the pregnancy.
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John is in awe of Carol's love and sacrifice, but is unable to really show her.
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JOSEPH CAMPBELL (20's) arrives at end - he had been an teenage crush of Carol's 10 years ago
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EPISODE 3
"BREAKING THROUGH"
SUMMARY:
1925
In this Flashback, an 18 year old Ed walks the Appalachian Trail alone - on a trek for self-discovery. Using advice from John Muir books, he sleeps in a cemetery at night to protect himself from anyone bothering him. As he falls asleep on top of a gravesite, we fade to:
1948
Ed, at 51, lays unconscious in the post surgical room after his train accident. Ed's friends surround him and listen to the prognosis, which is grim. Carol repeats what the doctor is describing into a phone - John listens on the other end of the line, stuck in the midwest with delayed flights due to tornadoes - he asks if Ed had been happy lately. Carol doesn't know. She had lost touch with him over time. Joseph Campbell, at 44, arrives at the hospital - Carol tells John she must hang up.
1932
A large, week-long party is held at the Lab and all sorts of chaos insues. Joseph Campbell (26) integrates himself into the Lab Group quickly - he has found himself in a bohemian paradise and is in the center of it. Carol and Jospeh have feelings for each other and their relationship grows. Gabe and the Boys continue to shun George, who goes to horrific lengths to end his pain. Ed won't let Gabe and the boys off the hook for causing George so much pain.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Joseph idolizes John: dresses like him, writes like him and falls in love with his wife.
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Carol wants more affection and appreciation from John.
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Carol feels that John give more attention and appreciation to others. She needs to be seen.
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Carol gets affection and attention from Joseph. The two start an emotional affair.
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Ed falls in love with Jean, tries to get closer to her although she is married.
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Xenia finds herself left out as Ed pursues Jean.
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Xenia is also feeling abandoned by her sister and Jack leaving for Alaska.
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Nan wants Ed to be at home more, to be a responsible husband.
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Ed wants Nan to understand him.
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Nan tries to accept and understand Ed, even as his attention is on Jean.
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Joseph is hopelessly in love with Carol, and resents John for the way he has treated her.
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Jospeh is especially mad at John for the termination of her pregnancy.
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Jack puts John on the spot, and has him read his newest works to the entire Lab Group.
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John is nervous, but wants to prove that he is better than Jack and Joseph.
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Jack accuses John of stealing Beth's stories. Beth feels betrayed by John.
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Gabe and the boys are especially cruel in their dislike of George: they refuse to befriend a pimp.
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George, feeling extremely depressed, threatens to kill himself, but know thinks he will do it.
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George jams an ice pick into his heart and ends his life.
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Mr. Won digs up his grandfather's grave to donate it for Horace and George.
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Ed tells Gabe and the boys that George's death is on their heads.
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John makes a stand for his wife - confronts Joseph.
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John wants Carol to stay with him. Carol wants to stay with Joseph,
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Joseph decides Carol should stay with John. Carol's life is decided by these two men.
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EPISODE 4
"VAGABONDING THROUGH ALASKA"
SUMMARY:
1948
John barrels through Oklahoma, west on Route 66 in a desperate attempt to get past the tornadoes that are delaying his flights and keeping him from getting to California where Ed lays dying. John knows these is little time left and he is fighting hard to get to Ed before it's too late. We cross fade to:
1932
John and Carol drive east on Route 66 through the devastation of the Dust Bowl. Carol takes pictures and John takes notes. There is a tension between them, but they are together, peacefully for the time being.
Ed and Joseph are on a collecting expedition to Alaska - meeting up with Jack and Sasha. They explore the rich landscape and tribal cultures while determining their own future paths forward.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Ed has taken Joseph on a trip to Alaska trying to give John and Carol space to heal.
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Ed needs distance from Nan. He is looking for the path he needs to be on.
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John and Carol both want to try and repair their relationship.
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Carol and John take a drive into the Dust Bowl for research, and to get distance from the Lab Group.
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Xenia can't stay in Monterey alone, she surprises Ed and Joe by showing up in Alaska to join them.
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Joe finds that he does not want to be a writer like John, but rather wants to study mythologies.
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Ed encourages Xenia to enjoy time with Joseph.
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Xenia seduces Joseph during the Alaska trip.
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Sasha has new feelings for Ed. Jack is unhappy
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Ed writes to Jean, and then writes letters back to himself from Jean.
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Xenia wants Ed's book succeed, helps him by drawing sea-creature illustrations.
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Carol and John rent a house in Texas, and rekindle their marriage.
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John needs Carol's reassurance for his work.
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Carol doubles down on her efforts to build John's career and talent.
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Carol is drinking more often, to drown her pain.
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Carol and John decide they will move to LA to be far from Lab Group.
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John gets word that his mother has passed. He and Carol rush back to Monterey.
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Ed ends his trip early, to help save Jack and Sasha's relationship.
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Joseph heads home for NYC from Alaska, wanting to avoid Carol and John in California.
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Xenia travels with Ed back to Monterey.
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Nan is unhappy to see Ed arrive at the train station with Xenia. Nan tells Ed to move out permanently.
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EPISODE 5
"SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY
1930
Ed, Nan and the children collect jellyfish in a remote, idyllic cove on the Washington coast. But Ed is pulled underwater in a whirlpool and experiences a surreal moment of swimming with whales across the sky towards bright lights... he wakes from this dream in...
1948
... the hospital where he is examined by doctors who shine lights in his eyes. The doctors are encouraged to see that he has woken. Ed wants to know his prognosis, it is grim.
John is on a new flight over the West that fights heavy turbulence. The plane must divert to Denver for the night, further delaying his arrival to California and getting to Ed in time. John's memories take us to...
1933
Ed has finished his book - but is only receiving rejection letters. Gabe sees that Ed is feeling down, and plans a surprise party for him - Gabe takes the boys on a frog collecting trip in Carmel to help raise enough money to throw a party. Gabe's scheme enares everyone on the Row.
John and Ed take Jean and her husband BRUCE (30s) on a collection trip at Pointe Reyes. Ed and Jean begin their affair, even with her husband nearby.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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John has had several successes, he and Carol are nearly wealthy.
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John is well on his way of catching up to Hemingway.
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John and Carol move to the countryside, away from the Lab Group.
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Carol's political life grows, she writes marching songs for a huge Union protest in San Francisco.
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John seeks validation from Ed, that he is not a fraud. Carol feels replaced.
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Carol wants to limit John's time spent with Ed, keep him focused on writing.
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Carol wants to push John to the next level in his writing.
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Carol wants to be seen for her sacrifices and her management.
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Carol drinks more often, as a way to handle stress.
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Ed wants carol to be more stable, so John can write.
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Hazel gets arrested during Gabe's frog collecting trip.
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Gabe and the boys collect more frogs than Ed would ever need - and sell them to Mr. Won for whiskey.
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Gabe and the boys begin their party for Ed at the Lab before Ed returns.
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Prohibition is announced to be over for good - the party spills out of the Lab onto the Row.
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Sheriff Larson breaks up the parties on the Row, Gabe moves it all inside the Lab.
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In Point Reyes, John wants to share his latest story, OF MICE AND MEN, but is nervous.
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John reads the manuscript for OF MICE AND MEN to Ed, Jean and Bruce. They are moved.
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Ed and Jean carry on an affair, even with her husband close by.
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Ed wants John to be his wingman so he and Jean can carry on their affair.
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John helps keep Bruce occupied.
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John's dog eats the manuscript for OF MICE AND MEN when nobody's watching.
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Ed expresses to John how talented he thinks he is, and valued as a friend.
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On their way back through San Francisco, John joins Carol at the Union March - it is violent and bloody.
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Ed returns to the Lab to find it is destroyed by the huge party that Gabe threw.
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Ed beats Gabe in anger and rage. Frankie is horrified at witnessing the violence.
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Ed stops the beating and tries to apologize. He is disturbed by his own actions.
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Nan has moved away with the children. Ed is alone.
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SUMMARY:
1948
At the Hospital, Joseph Campbell (44) and Carol (46) sit near Ed's room catching up with each other since their affair 18 years prior. They know Ed is holding on to see John one last time.
John, exhausted from the hard travel across the country, waits for his last flight to take off. He is so close, but is beat down from the anxiety and stress of the past few days. His thoughts take us to:
1937
John works in a migrant camp, researching the incredibly dire lives of Okies. People are starving to death, famers are cruel, conditions are horrific. John vows to write his next book (THE GRAPES OF WRATH) in 100 days.
A flu outbreak takes over the Monterey area. Poor families call on Ed as a doctor. Ed and Flora and her girls team up to take care of everyone on the Row.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Nan and the kids help Ed collect specimens so he can afford alimony and child support.
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Ed works hard to help take care of sick families during a flu-epidemic.
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Gabe starts to call Ed "Doc". The name sticks.
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John continues to work hard on his novel in the new house, but is distracted.
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Carol wants to take their life up a few notches now that they have money.
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John and Carol's more affluent life means more interruptions to his work.
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John wants Carol to relax a little, drink less. He yearns for the simple days.
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Carol wants John to step up into their new status.
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Carol drives John hard to research and write GRAPES OF WRATH.
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Carol wants to change the world, and she feels GRAPES OF WRATH will do just that
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Ed's father, POP, is found dead at the Lab. Heart attack. Ed is devastated.
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Gabe, laying drunk in a gutter, wakes from otherwordly music coming from the sewer pipe.
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Gabe considers swearing off drinking, believing that God must be in the pipes talking to him.
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Ed has nightmares about his dead father contacting him.
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CHARLIE CHAPLIN (40's) arrives unannounced at John and Carol's ranch.
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Charlie is a great fan of John's work.
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Carol gets overwhelmed trying to make an impressive dinner for Charlie.
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John takes Charlie to the Lab to give relief to Carol. He wants Ed to entertain Charlie.
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John tries to pawn Charlie off on Ed - but a classic Lab party ensues and John is snagged into it.
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Xenia has returned, with a husband, who is openly gay, which she is proud of.
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Jean and Bruce arrive at the party - Jean pulls Ed aside to say she is pregnant. It is his.
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John finds Ed Jr. behind the Lab practising his horn while sitting in a drainage pipe.
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Ed Jr. is Gabe's "God in the Pipes" but John keeps it a secret.
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Ed wants to confide in John about Jean's pregnancy, but John leaves to get back to writing.
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Carol wants Ed to absorb the chaos so John can write in peace.
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Ed wakes one night to find the Lab is on fire. He barely escapes. Everything is lost.
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John wants to protect and help Ed, but he also has to hit Carol's deadline for GRAPES OF WRATH
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Everyone throws Ed a Christmas party, giving him new books as gifts to replace his lost library.
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"GOD IN THE PIPES"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
EPISODE 6
EPISODE 7
SUMMARY:
1948
Ed lays in his hospital bed, barely awake, and looking worse. He whispers to Jean who writes for him. She takes this letter to the Lab and leaves it on Ed's desk.
1939
John socializes with movies stars like BURGESS MEREDITH, Charlie Chaplin and SPENCER TRACY in Hollywood as he visits the sets of his films OF MICE AND MEN and GRAPES OF WRATH. He is introduced to beautiful starlet and lounge singer, GWYN CONDOR (20) and is set up on a date with her.
Carol arrives by train in New York City to see the Broadway production of OF MICE AND MEN, and she invites Joseph Campbell to go with her.
Ed has built a new Lab, but struggles financially from the loss.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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John is staying in Hollywood - he is the hottest thing and everyone wants to be associated with him.
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Carol needs time away from John. And he needs time away from Carol and her drinking.
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Carol is in New York, and looks up Joseph, who is now married - to her great disappointment.
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Ed is struggling as he finishes the touches on his new Lab. He is in terrible financial shape.
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Ed Jr. has come to live with his father in the Lab.
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Ed wants Jean to leave Bruce.
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Jean wants Ed as her lover and Bruce as her provider.
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Bruce accepts Jean and Ed's relationship as a way to save his marriage to her.
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Ed wants Jean fully, but compromises with Bruce.
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Jean, Bruce and Ed leave baby DENNIS with Ed Jr to babysit (Ed Jr. is unaware that this is his half brother)
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WAR OF THE WORLDS comes on the radio, terrifying Ed Jr alone with the baby.
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Gabe and the Boys are obsessed with the Pole Skater at Holman's Department Store.
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Everyone wonders where the Pole Skater goes to the bathroom.
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John returns to Monterey and sees how bad off Ed is.
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John wants to find a way to help Ed out financially.
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Ed lets John and Gwyn use the lab for their affair.
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People are burning copies of THE GRAPES OF WRATH and it is banned in schools.
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John is getting death threats. He wants to hide at the Lab.
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John tells his agents he wants to quit writing and become a biologist with Ed.
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Ed and John decide to prepare an expedition to collaborate on a book about it.
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The book will generate much needed money for Ed.
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Carol returns from her trip to NYC. She is very sad and drinks even heavier than before.
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Ed feels Carol is toxic, wants her out of John's life.
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Carol wants Ed to be more of a refuge for JOhn, than a distraction.
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Jean asks Ed to have an affair with other women she knows. She will set it up.
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Ed knows this is a way for Jean to put distance between them.
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"IN DUBIOUS BATTLES"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
EPISODE 8
"SEA OF CORTEZ"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
He has a surreal dream that includes his deceased father, Mr. Won and his son, Ed Jr. - Ed wakes from the dram, still in the hospital. Ed Jr. is there holding his hand.
John sits in San Francisco airport, waiting for the last leg of his journey to Ed. The flight is terribly delayed. He is demoralized and starts to drink in the bar, when finally the Attendants announce the flight to Monterey is boarding - John rushes onto the plane, he will be at Ed's bedside in just a couple hours now. He memories take us to:
1940
After a huge party in the marina, Ed and John set sail on the Western Flyer with Carol and a crew of fishermen to the Sea of Cortez. The 6 week expedition is filled with days collecting in the beautiful waters and nights of drinking, laughing and even a few fights.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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John, Ed and Carol prepare the Western Flyer as a huge festival is underway in Monterey.
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Carol is going on the trip to try and restore her relationship with Ed and John.
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John and Carol want to reconcile like they did in Texas.
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John wants Carol to relax and lay off the drinking.
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John expects Ed to perform on this trip - he has invested a lot into it.
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Ed wants Carol to respect the purpose of the trip - this is not a vacation. He would prefer she didn't come.
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Ed wants John to collaborate to use his name to help publish his ideas and research.
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John throws his money around freely, paying for the parties and supplies for the boat.
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Flora pulls John aside and tells him to stop being an asshole with his wealth.
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She tells him to let others have their dignity and contribute what they can.
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John realizes giving can be selfish.
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CAPTAIN TONY (30's), SPARKY (20's) and TINY (20's) are not happy to have Carol on their boat.
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They also are cold to John, because of his propaganda writing for the AFL-CIO
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When they learn it is actually Carol writing the propaganda, they bond to John.
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Carol, upset that John told them about her writing, locks herself inside the stateroom for 3 days.
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Tiny and Sparky hold a grudge against Carol because she was suppose to be the cook.
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In the Sea of Cortez, Tiny and Sparky harpoon large rays and sea-turtle.
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Carol refuses to sleep with John. She keeps the stateroom, John sleeps in the engine room.
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Ed, John and Carol collect during the day - like old times.
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Ed makes a habit of bathing for hours on the deck. Naked in front of everyone.
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Ed writes endless love letters to Jean. He will send them when he returns.
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Carol and Ed flirt with each other.
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Carol has night terrors - Ed comes in to soothe her. Sex between them is simply to enjoy.
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John drinks to drown his feelings about Carol being with Ed.
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EPISODE 9
"LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
Xenia (36) and John Cage arrive at the hospital to visit Ed, who slips in and out of consciousness. Xenia places a hand drawn picture of a sea-anemone on Ed's chest. It is inscribed "Flowered - Xenia". It is a replica of the drawing she had made for him 18 years prior (Episode 1). She tells Ed goodbye, and wishes him well on his journey to the otherside. We fade to:
1940
The Western Flyer rolls gently under a vast starfield. Ed, John, Carol and the crew have been in the Sea of Cortez for a month now. A huge bounty of specimens has been collected. Although bonds have formed, tensions have also built up. Carol is drinking heavily. She and John hardly speak. Everyone hopes they can make it back to Monterey before there is a break in the relative peace.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Ed realizes they have collected tens of thousands of dollars more inventory than he expected.
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Tony bitterly says he should be paid more for the expedition because the haul is so rich.
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Carol wants John to apologize to her for how he has been in the relationship.
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John wants Carol to get better and stabilize.
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John wants Carol to accept that the relationship is over.
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Carol wants Ed to soothe her heartache.
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They all go to shore for a day of relaxing in a small Mexican town.
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Tiny and Sparky spend the day at brothels, drinking.
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Tiny signs up for a boxing match at the cantina. He enters drunk, lasts a couple rings but loses.
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Ed gives Tiny a silver boxing glove pendant as a reward.
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Ed wants to bond with John further,
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John wants Ed to mentor him on his philosophies.
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Carol drinks with Tiny and Sparky on board the Western Flyer while Ed and John are out collecting.
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Carol falls into the water, fully clothed. She removes her top on the boat, Tiny and Sparky react.
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Carol and Tiny have an affair. Sparky wants nothing to do with their antics.
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Sparky and Tiny bring a few girls on board - everyone is drinking.
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Carol makes a pass at Sparky. Tony tells her that she is loose.
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John stands up for Carol, and almost comes to blows with Tony.
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Tiny tells a story of how when he was little, he acted out his racism in a cruel way on Cannery Row.
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The Western Flyer makes it way back to the States. The US is preparing for WWII.
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They hear on the radio that Germany has invaded Poland. John takes many notes.
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At San Diego, Ed gets off the boat and gets a ride to Monterey, avoiding the stress on the boat.
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Tiny is upset because Ed went with his girlfriend.
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EPISODE 10
"THE WRATH OF CAROL"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
Ed has trouble breathing as he struggles to hold on. Sparky (29) is at Ed's bedside with several of the Girls from Flora's. He holds a rosary, and takes off his silver boxing glove necklace that Ed had given him. He places both in Ed's hand. Then makes a comment to one of the Girls that "John is too fancy now to be bothered to come say goodbye to the one man who loved him."
1941
John has gone back to Mexico to work on a new film - leaving Ed in Monterey to wait for the writing of THE SEA OF CORTEZ. Ed decides to drive to Mexico City to try to get John to write their book. Their relationship is more strained now than it's ever been - and Ed is saddened by the turn of events. John and Carol's relationship finally explodes. Nothing is what is once was...
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Ed's lab is overfilled with specimens from the Sea of Cortez trip.
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Ed's new girlfriend, TONI JACKSON (28), wants to show she is a useful helper in the lab.
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Jean stops in to tell Ed that she is pregnant again with Bruce's baby.
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Jean wants Ed to be happy with Toni.
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Toni sees how upset Ed is over this and realizes his feelings for Jean.
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Ed believes that Bruce is keeping Jean pregnant to keep her from him.
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Ed wants Jean to finally leave Bruce. She will never do it.
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Toni wats Ed's full attention, without Jean as a distraction.
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John and Carol are in Mexico City, and their marriage is at its worst.
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Ed takes Toni to Mexico to confront John, and convince him to work on their SEA OF CORTEZ book.
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Ed feels that John's movie goes directly against everything they experienced on their expedition.
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On set, Ed is vocal about his problems with the film, angering John and the director.
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Ed writes an anti-script as a response to the film. John asks Ed to leave.
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Ed, heartbroken and angry takes Toni back to Monterey. He fears that their book will never be written.
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John and Carol return to California and throw a huge party to celebrate John's Pulitzer win.
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Salvador Dali hosts the party at John and Carol's ranch. Everyone is invited. The party is huge.
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John wants to force Carol to accept that is is really over between them.
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John invites Gwyn to the party as his date.
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Carol wants revenge on John.
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Ritchie, Tal and Xenia want to surprise Carol with a gift. But no one can find Carol.
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John asks them to present the gift in her absence.
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Ritchie tells the crowd that John had promised Carol furs, a swimming pool and her name in lights.
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He explains that Carol has the furs and swimming pool, and now...
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Tal flips a switch, and a huge sign made of lights reads CAROL over the pool.
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Everyone can now see that Carol and Sparky are having sex on the diving board.
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Shocked, John and Carol have a huge fight in front of all their guests.
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Carol wants to use Ed as a weapon against John.
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Carol tells John that Ed fucked her on the Western Flyer.
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John tells her that Ed did it as a favor to him.
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John asks Carol and Gwyn to decide who will keep him. He wants them to decide.
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Gwyn says she is pregnant. Carol also says she is pregnant.
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John goes to stay with Ed at the Lab, his nerves are shattered.
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Ed wants to make up with John, show him he is still a good friend.
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Carol and Gwyn have a terrible argument, Gwyn gives up.
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Carol tells John that although Gwyn gave up, she wants a divorce. She knows Gwyn has his heart.
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John sits in the cottage, writing the SEA OF CORTEZ, with Gwyn. Carol has been replaced.
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EPISODE 11
"A HERO'S JOURNEY"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
Frankie, now 23, is with Ed who is barely conscious. Tears fall from Frankie's stoic face has he gives Ed a watch - the same watch he tried to steal as a gift for Ed years ago. Frankie leans in and apologizes. Ed squeezes his hand and whispers in his ear. Frankie's shoulders heave with silent weeping as he stays in close with Ed, listening.
1941
Ed celebrates the rave reviews in the New York Times for SEA OF CORTEZ. John, in New York, is floored that the NYTimes compared him to Hemingway. But the celebratory mood is dampened that morning as news spreads that Pearl Harbor has been attacked. WWII takes over the Row. And John is sent into battle in Europe.
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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Ed's so happy with the review of SEA OF CORTEZ, he asks Toni to marry him on the spot.
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Toni laughs him off, and asks what would Jean think of him getting married.
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Toni wants Ed to stop sleeping with other women. Ed wants Toni to accept him.
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John, in New York, argues with his agents to keep Ed's name on SEA OF CORTEZ.
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John wants to make Ed feel special about the success of SEA OF CORTEZ, prepares an elaborate gift.
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Pearl Harbor is bombed, everyone lives are changed.
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Everyone on the Row is enlisted into WWII. Ed is drafted only a day before his 45th birthday.
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Ed goes to work at the Presido. The Lab is closed for now.
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John is sent by the President to be a correspondent embedded with an elite Marine team.
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John wants to stay connected to Ed via letters.
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John arrives in Tripoli, and joins the team, led by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
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The team raids Nazi controlled Italy - pretending to be a large armada, but only a handful of men.
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They fool Nazi commanders into surrendering. Skirmishes break out.
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John witnesses the horrors of war. He loses his hearing from heavy fire.
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John desperately longs for the better days on Cannery Row.
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John promises the soldiers that he will write a comedy when he returns to the States.
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Gwyn sends distressing letters to John while he is at war. She is unhappy and wants to leave him.
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On Cannery Row, Sheriff Larson throws a victory party at Flora's for his election.
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Flora is just about out of business these days. She opens a new brothel in a motor lodge in Sand City.
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Toni finds that Ed is impossible to change. He has multiple affairs with married women.
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Toni knew this about Ed when she moved in with him. But she is unhappy and unsure of her next move.
MORE:
NEXT UP:
EPISODE 12
"CANNERY ROW"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
John's plane glides over Monterey, he has finally made it. Carol is on the tarmac to greet him. They embrace, forgiving each other for the damage they inflicted on each other in the past. She rushes John over to the hospital to see Ed. But when they arrive, they find that Ed has already passed. John has missed him.
John stands at the door of the Lab, as he did in episode 1. He pushes the door open and wanders through the Lab, and finds Ed sitting at his desk. We are actually in....
1945
... Ed is surprised to see John, who has come from New York unannounced. John has brought with him Gwyn and his two young boys. John also has a copy of his novel, CANNERY ROW. Ed opens the book and reads the dedication: "For Ed Ricketts, who knows why or should."
CANNERY ROW is a best seller - and Ed has become famous, as has the entire Row. Some jealousies are exposed with old friends. And John finds that he is no longer accepted in Monterey. Things have changed...
ADDITIONAL BEATS:
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John has returned to Cannery Row to find that it is dying off.
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Sardines are nearly all gone and canneries are closing.
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Flora has left the Row.
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John's novel, CANNERY ROW is a huge hit. And Mr. Won is doing brisk business selling copies.
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John has moved back to Monterey to work on his next large book, EAST OF EDEN.
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Gwyn is not finding Monterey to be very hospitable to her and John.
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Many people resent John for writing the novel about them.
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Ritchie tells John that he has always agreed with Jack: That John is a hack. And he will sell-out anyone.
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John's feelings are very hurt by his old friends turning on him.
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LIFE magazine offers John a huge fee to write a piece about the real Cannery Row.
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John declines the LIFE offer, as he feels he may have done enough damage already.
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Ironically, Ritchie takes up the LIFE offer.
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Ed encourages John to embrace his fame and fortune and move on from the people of Cannery Row.
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Jean visits Ed for a lovemaking session.
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Ed wants to rekindle the relationship with Jean.
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A tourist lets themselves into the Lab.
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Ed, naked, argues with the tourist to leave. Toni arrives to find Ed with Jean.
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Toni is over it and leaves Ed. Ed wants Toni to be happy.
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Ed has a lock installed on the door of the Lab for the first time.
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John moves Gwyn and his boys back to New York.
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Before leaving, John invests more money into the Lab and asks Ed to draw up plans for a larger building.
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John also asks Ed to do the research for a follow up book to their SEA OF CORTEZ.
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John finances Ed's research on the Queen Charlottes islands in Canada for the follow up book.
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John will join Ed in the Queen Charlottes.
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In New York, John gets to meet Hemingway at a dinner thrown for the two of them.
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Hemingway respects John as an artist. John has arrived in life.
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Gwyn, unhappy in the marriage, has a fight with John. John falls over a balcony and damages his leg.
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Ed receives a letter from John in the Queen Charlottes saying he can't come because of his leg.
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Ed returns to Monterey and continues his work.
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Several friends are at the Lab. Ed drives off to buy steaks for a small party.
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Ed is suddenly hit by a train. His son, Ed Jr. comes running towards the accident, calling his name.
MORE:
NEXT UP:
EPISODE 13
"LAYING THE GHOST"
written by
P.J. Palmer and Eric Enno Tamm
SUMMARY:
1948
We glide behind a taxi as it motors through a deserted Cannery Row. The cab stops in front of a dilapidated building. JOHN STEINBECK (46) exits the cab with a leather briefcase embossed with his name. He climbs the steps of the old building. He retrieves a hidden key and lets himself in. He wanders through this well-lived in space and comes to a desk covered with items: photos of a younger version of himself and Ed in Mexico, a framed New York Times review of SEA OF CORTEZ, the boxing glove pendant from Sparky, the new watch from Frankie, floor plans for the new large laboratory, notebooks titled "Queen Charlottes", a signed copy of A HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES from Joe, a stack of CANNERY ROW novels autographed by Ed.
There are stacks of opened letters from John. He then finds an unopened letter from Ed to him (this is the letter Ed dictated to Jean earlier.) John reads the very personal letter from Ed - we hear the letter in Ed's VO, telling John how much he thanks him, how much he admires him, how he is moving forward in his journey, ready to swim across the sky and break through. He is not afraid - he has learned from John and every single person he has met, ever loved, ever listened to. Everything is connected. We all found each other because we needed each other, we formed each other. Ed writes that John's work has changed the world, and will continue to for generations - that this is the most important thing anyone could aspire to, and that he is deeply grateful to be a part of John's life. Ed writes that he has never loved anyone as profoundly as his friend, John. And that they will always be connected. Forever.
Alone in the lab, John burns letters and notebooks in the furnace. Some items he keeps and places in Ed's briefcase. Ritchie comes in. The two men embrace; everything is water under the bridge. Soon Jean arrives. And Xenia. Ed Jr. Someone plays BACH. Soon Gabe and the vagabonds filter in too. Jean takes several notebooks from the burn pile and keeps them for herself. They crack open the Lab safe, to find only a note that reads: "What did you expect to find here?" They all laugh at Ed's lasting humor. Ritchie's laugh turns to tears. He calls out Ed's name. It is silent for a moment. Jean finally says -
JEAN
We’ll have to let him go. We’ll have to release him and let him go.
Everyone who knew Ed arrives solemnly at the Lighthouse Chapel for a funeral - including: Sheriff Larson (70's), Gabe (60's) and the vagabonds, Mr. and Mrs. Won (70's), Frankie (24), Jack and Sasha (40's), Xenia (36) and John Cage, Toni, Alice (27), Ed Jr (26), Nan (48), Nancy (23) and Cornelia (19), Carol (45), Tal and Ritchie (40's), Beth and Peg (40's), Francis (50's), Flora (70's) and quite a few Girls (20's - 40's), Tiny and Sparky (30's), Tony (60's), Bruce and Jean (40's), Joe (44), Henry Miller (70's), Charlie Chaplin (70's), Burgess Meredith (40's), Salvador Dali (70's) and about a dozen unknown Women without their husbands.
During the meditative service, John notices a monarch butterfly outside the chapel window. He walks out of the crowded chapel and follows the monarch butterflies as they drift towards the nearby Great Tide Pool where we first met Ed in Episode 1. Carol sees this and follows. Then Xenia, Joe and Gabe follow. Soon, the rest of the funeral wanders to the tide pools.
The tide is low, and the pools are filled with colorful sea life. The group explores. Carol walks into the water fully clothed, like a baptism. Xenia explains an anemone to John Cage. John watches waves crash in the distance. A school of dolphin passes nearby and way out there, a whale breaches.
A lone sardine boat pushes out to sea as the sunsets.
John's VO discusses Ed's great influence on everyone. And how difficult it will be to lay the ghost. Under this VO we see the following:
- Gabe gets on a bus out of town.
- Frankie works as Holman's as a bag boy.
- Jean gives birth to another baby.
- Ed Jr. returns to University.
- Flora works at her Seaside Motor Lodge brothel.
- Mr. Won sells the store to a younger man.
- Carol sits in her Carmel beach home watching the sea.
- Sparky and Tiny fight in a Monterey bar.
John locks up the Lab, never to return. A "For Sale" sign in its window.
John enters the old cottage in Pacific Grove. A new dog, 'Charlie' is with him. He uncovers the furniture, lights a fire. And settles in to write with a pad of legal paper and a green pen.
We pull back and up away from the cottage - an aerial view of Monterey at dusk - from up here, it looks similar to a tide pool. The Chinese Festival sends up glowing lanterns into the sky like an ocean filled with phosphorescent jellyfish. Soon we have pulled back into the Universe - everything looks similar to the world of the tidepool... everything is connected.
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End title cards and archival footage and photos:
- John has critical successes with EAST OF EDEN, which becomes a film starring James Dean.
- John wins the Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- John finally meeting his true love, Elaine.
- Ed's BETWEEN PACIFIC TIDES, in its 5th edition, is still Stanford's bestselling book 80 years later.
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium was built in Ed's honor at the end of Cannery Row.
- Ed Ricketts Memorial Award is awarded each year by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
- Western Flyer II, a oceanographic research vessel used by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is equipped with the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named "Doc Ricketts "
- The Western Flyer Foundation has renovated the original Western Flyer vessel as a US Historical Monument and state-of-the-art teach lab for underprivileged children from the Sea of Cortez to Alaska.
- Ed's statue sits at that site of the train accident - people put fresh flowers into the hand of the statue every day.
- Ed's Lab still sits on Cannery Row, mostly unnoticed by the thousands of tourists each day. (Although some do know what the old building is, as evidenced by the lipstick kiss stains still placed on the exterior walls)