Season 2, Episode 7 "The Cabin"
Detailed Synopsis
Kindly written up by Blair Rhodes!
HOOK
Stevens-Knight household, int. Evening.
We open at the Stevens-Knight residence. Meryll potters about as Brian studies. The doorbell rings: it's a courier. Meryll signs for a FedEx package addressed to "the night shift workers.". She takes it to Brian, and he breaks his study reverie long enough to thank her and open it. It's a message signed "Lex" (i.e. Lex Madsen), and contains a legend from the tome Tempus Nocturne V that features St John's Wort as a principal element. The story is one of lust, trickery, manipulation, betrayal and murder. As Brian reads, he realises that the vital Beauchamp Theorem is in volume V of this "Tempus Nocturne". All he has to do now is find it...
Meanwhile, Heather telephones to talk to Zak about nothing at all, in the way young people do. A very tentative relationship is teased between the two teens.
In other news, the Dynamic Duo of Aggie (Agapanthus) and Chrys (Chrysanthemum) telephone to chat to Meryll about whether Candy can come with Cynth and them on vacation to a cabin in the woods. Meryll agrees, and much joy abounds among the two young women at the prospect of a holiday with the fun-filled Older Sisters.
A "new mail" notification sound turns Brian's attention to his PC. He reads an e-mail from a colleague (Tim), who reports that the Tempus Nocturne series is notoriously hard to come by; in fact, the only known copy hereabouts was purchased some years back at an auction by an anonymous bidder. Brian's mind is brought back to the registered mail sent by Lex which mentions the all-important volume V, indicating that the private collector with the key to the Beauchamp Theorem is none other than... (Lex Madsen) The incidental music swells and the camera shows a close-up of Brian's eyes twitching madly as his mind races; he looks over his shoulder at the camera as it zooms in and the music swells to a crescendo--
OPENING CREDITS
Ext. Stevens-Knight household. Late morning.
Candy and Cynth are departing with Chris and Aggie, who have commandeered the Stevens-Knight station wagon for the expedition. The girls wave goodbye as they depart, a cloud of oestrogen and food colouring off to the hunt. Zak climbs on his bike to go see Sophie, currently barracking with Hube at the Ridgeway Estate. As he arrives at the deconstructionist/never-completed house, he realises there's something going on. Going round to the back, he chances upon a surprising and quaint scene: Hube and Sophie are putting primer on the bare Ridgeway boards. Sophie almost seems domesticated.
Ext. Lockely Cabin. Morning.
Meanwhile, the girls arrive at Lockely Cabin in the woods (after thirty odd-minutes of "Oh my God this is so kewl, are we there yet?"). As the older sisters unpack and fuss about whether they've brought enough junk food (and whether Chrys managed to see their friend about the "special herbs"), Cynth and Candy hit the nearby lake. The waters are clear and deserted. Cynth ploughs straight in, but Candy's more cautious. The water is freezing, and Cynth gleefully gives Candy a sample, triggering a splash-fight. As the battle subsides, they hear a gently lapping sound, coming closer. As they watch, a canoe paddled by youngsters wearing "Camp Wannalosalottaweight" T-shirts goes past. Gradually, they hear the noise of large crowds of kids, indicating that a summer camp is just across the lake. They're not as alone as they thought.
Stevens-Knight household, Brian's study. Evening.
Meanwhile, Brian telephones Mister Pipe (intending to get to the organ-grinder through the monkey), casually inquiring (at least, as casually as one can) about volume V of the... oh, the Tempus Nocturne. Pipe plays it coy, offering a meeting between them to sort out a loan of some kind. Realising he has to play along, Brian agrees. They agree to meet for dinner on the morrow. Brian hangs up the phone with the uncomfortable realisation that after this dinner-date, he might well be sleeping with the enemy...
Ext. Lockely Cabin. Afternoon.
Back at the cabin, the older sisters run down the list of crap they have. Deciding it's not enough, Aggie goes for more (wink, wink to Chrys). The girls wave her goodbye.
Ext. Rideway. Afternoon.
At the Ridgeway estate, Zak is chatting with Sophie during a break in the painting. The conversation turns to childhood memories. Zak admits he can't remember much about his mother, as she left when he was very young. It hurts that his father won't talk about it, even today. Sophie replies that at least he has that much, intimating that she's an orphan.
Ext. Lockely Cabin. Afternoon.
Aggie returns to the cabin, supposedly with supplies. The station wagon doors open... and Aggie introduces the girls to Andrew and Max. This has been the older sisters' masterplan from the outset: to get the boys and girls together and matchmake. Cynth and Candy are caught totally off-guard, and almost immediately disappear into the woods on the pretext of getting firewood. They talk about what they're going to but end up unintentionally locking shields, along the lines of:
"What are you going to do about Andrew?"
"I don't know!"
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Well, what are YOU going to do about Max?"
"... I don't know!"
and round we go again. Cynth is fast becoming exasperated. "Well, how do you feel about Andrew?"
Candy fumbles for an answer. She opens her mouth --
and we hit the COMMERCIAL BREAK