The Bill, Series 22 Episode 18: A Rock and a Hard Place
Building tension between the two characters. One appears to be a police officer and one an informant?
Giving him guns. Gang leader (?)
Tension continues between the two officers
Fight inside white van. One man pushing another against it.
Domestic disturbance
Sets up three storylines. The gang leader and the guns, the domestic van, and the and the mum and daughter
“Not if you end up with an infection” “My daughter ,ay. Not have that much respect for her body, but I do!”
Beat cops looking after a van. Sets it up like a distraction?
Background check on the boyfriend. Drugs, joyriding, etc.
Van thing wasn’t a distraction!
But now there’s some more youths. Slightly confrontational.
One of the officers’ cousins!
Back to go detective
Ran names of a gang to try and track down the guns
A party?
Looking fr Josh Williams — the boyfriend
Gun shots fired
Screaming.
Storylines become intermingled.
STORY A: The gangman and the guns
STORY B: The van and the records
STORY C: The boyfriend and the naval piercing.
A Story: A Detective has an informant who he’s trying to get guns from, to get them off the street
B Story: A confrontation at a van full of pirated records
C Story: A woman and her 15-year-old daughter have a domestic, the girls’ boyfriend is 18 and they want to sleep together but the mum says don’t, and he pieed her bellybutton and her mum doesn’t like that
The police went to a community centre where the bf was supposed to be to look for him, but there were gunshots and now this is pretty much where we are
The bf is actually lovely and really worried about the gf who was locked in the bathroom
The gf found the shooting victim (who was the og informant)
He’s dead now.
Chekhov’s Gun literally, lol
“We’ll get her out, I promise”
Josie (the daughter/girlfriend) is with a gunshot victim
The gunshot victim was the informant from the start
“I don’t know nothing about any guns!”
(Holding a photo of him holding a gun.)
Metro Story
Two men stage hammer fight for Google Maps car?
A convoluted plot twist:
An Olympic Jockey had a gold medal stolen, but it turns out to just be a fall-man to cover up the real thieves stealing the prize-winning horses' semen, which can sell for hundreds of thousands. Comedy, with the shots cutting between the action, the arrest of the burglar, and the primary thieves attempting to - extract - their prize. Potentially a third twist of one of the horse thieves also trying to steal ketamine.
Writing Exercise — Dialogue: Razor Blades
Status — power.
Text vs Subtext
Urban drug store.
2am.
Harsh florescent lights
2 characters. Sales assistant. Customer. Same gender.
Sales assistant. Will. 21. Hidden fear: late night interactions
Customer. Jimmy. 26. Hidden fear: his drug abuse
The purchase of razor blades. No one leaves, and no one else enters.
A run down shop at a service station off the M1.
WILL stands behind a counter, sipping on a Redbull. His mind is wandering, as he stares off into the distance. A bell sounds, as the door swings open. JIMMY walks through the door, passes the counter and avoids eye contact. JIMMY is in a denim vest top and torn, tight jeans. WILL is in a hoodie and baggy jeans.
WILL: Evening.
JIMMY grunts.
JIMMY circles the shops for about a minute, weaving through isles, picking up and replacing items. WILL watches him like prey.
JIMMY comes up to the counter, as WILL turns his lips up at the corners. JIMMY looks past him to the cabinet behind. He scans the bottles. JIMMY speaks like hes been gargling gravel.
JIMMY: Pack of Marlboro Silvers and the Jack.
WILL: The litre?
JIMMY: Yeah
Pause.
WILL: Not drivng, are you?
He is only half-joking.
JIMMY: What's it to you. Razor blades; you have razor blades?
WILL: (Looking past JIMMY's shoulder) Uhh, yeah, we've got some sets somehwere.
JIMMY doesnt respind but turns to look towards where WILL appeared to be looking. He squats down; pushes an item back with gusto.
JIMMY: No, not shaving sets, I just need blades.
WILL: Uhh, we've got-
JIMMY: Fuck that, just the blades.
WILL: Like for a Stanle-
JIMMY: Just the blades.
He makes a chopping motion with his right hand over his flattened left palm.
Pause.
WILL: What's it for? Like, if it's for const-
JIMMY: Just the fuckin' blades, what are you, fuckin' deaf?
WILL: Sorry, mate, no just trying to work out what you wanted them f-
JIMMY: You retarded then? Fuck me, I just want some fuckin' blades.
WILL: Have you been drinking? 'Cause if you have you know I can't sell you-
JIMMY: The fuck's it got to do with you?
WILL: Mate I'm gonna have to ask you to leave if you keep-
JIMMY: Jesus, sorry, I'm not trying to be an arse, I've just had a ... day.
WILL: I get you. I'll have a look underneath, they keep all sorts of weird shit here.
Beat.
WILL squats down behind the counter and rummages. JIMMY rubs the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He sighs quietly, runs his hands through his hair and subconsciously tugs it.
WILL produces a pack of razor blades.
WILL: This is all I got.
JIMMY: Fine. Cheers.
JIMMY picks up the blades, the fags, and the whiskey.
WILL taps some keys on the till.
WILL: That'll be forty-
JIMMY turns to leave.