Season 2, Episode 7 "The Cabin"
"The Cabin" synopsis - page two (back to page one)
Exeter video arcade, int. Afternoon.
When we return, Zak is in a video arcade near the Exeter Mall, showing he's cool by playing one of the older games. He's alternating between "Tenchu II" and "Double Dragon II". The A.D.D. Duo suddenly appear and teasingly try to distract him. Troy suddenly leans across Zak, twists the joystick, mashes the buttons and executes the dreaded Miracle Ecstasy Bomb manoeuvre. Zak growls at them to leave him alone (he just lost a credit because of the distraction).
Suddenly, past the arcade window traipse the ever-inviting target of Lollie, Stephie and Hettie. Troy and Alistair have a Pavlovian reaction and ambush the Twee Trio with the dreaded worms. Zak abandons his losing game to go outside to watch, almost doubled up with mirth. Stephie almost has a conniption, and threatens to call the police on her cellphone. Troy and Alastair dare her to, and the near-hysterical would-be debutante dials the number. The A.D.D. Duo mock her some more, then go off to play the cool "Tenchu III". Stephie stomps off to the bathrooms at the Exeter Mall to clean up, yelling for Hettie to keep up. Stephie and Lollie go into the ladies restroom.
Zak is still laughing as Stephie and Lollie storm off in the direction of the Mall. He apologies to (the remaining) Hettie for not breaking up the "worm-bush", but it was just too much fun to watch. Hettie agrees. Somewhat clumsily, Zak asks Hettie if she'd like to get a milkshake or something sometime. Hettie agrees, and the two go to the Mall.
Exeter Mall, food plaza. Afternoon.
Inside the Exeter Mall, the two teens buy strawberry milkshakes and sit down. There follows that tentative conversation where one person tries to find out something about the other that they both have in common, with the other person only trying to reveal the good parts about themselves. They both profess to being bored, even though it's Summer. Hettie asks how Zak's been filling in the time, and he tries to think how to answer without giving away his evening "hobby". He tells her he's been exercising (training at Ridgeway), and she's impressed. It's difficult to actually commit yourself to something at yet retain that "too-cool-to-care" mystique, yet Zak has done it.
The two talk some more, seeming to get on really well. Then Hettie suddenly notices an abandoned "Vogue" magazine, adorned with the usual painted hatchet-faced model on the cover. Suddenly, the warm spell is broken. Hettie apologises to Zak, saying she has to go meet Lollie, and dashes off to the ladies restroom. (This recalls the incident in II:3 "Relics" where the Slayers witnessed Lollie undergoing a bulimic purge in a bathroom stall in the dream-world).
Ext. Woods. Afternoon.
Back in the woods, the young Slayers are trekking back to Lockely cabin with firewood. Candy carries some logs, and Cynth carries kindling. The "What are you going to do about...?" conversation has produced no answers. They're not even sure they'll have anything in common to discuss with the boys. "What can we talk about?" Candy asks. "Bowling?" Cynth suggests.
From nowhere, there's suddenly a backpacker close behind the two young women. There's something a little unnerving about him: maybe it's his sudden appearance, maybe it's the way he tries to ingratiate themselves into their conversation (despite Cynth's "friendly" reminder that they weren't talking to him), maybe it's his unfeasibly short hiking shorts.
"I'm on my way to the Rouphiae cabin," the hiker announces.
"That's great," Candy replies with no real interest.
"You're staying at the Lockely cabin, right?" he asks.
"That's right."
"Anyone staying with you?"
"Yeah, there's a whole large group of us," Cynth replies.
"That's good, because... well... you can't be too careful, y'know?" he advises them. Mercifully, they come to a turn-off of sorts on the trail; the hiker bids them farewell and goes off towards his cabin, and the two fire-starters hurry back to their camp.
Ext. Lockely Cabin. Late afternoon.
They find the Older Sisters are lounging about, reading magazines (tellingly, Chrys' magazine has a centrefold). The boys are asking them about aspects of college life, and the Older Sisters are smoking strange-smelling cigarettes.
"Do you stay in a dorm?"
"Not every night," Aggie laughs.
"Depends where he's staying," Cynth chortles.
"What do you major in?"
"Freshmen!" Aggie squeals, and she and Chrys dissolve into hysterics. They jump up when they see Cynth and Candy have returned, hurrying to take the wood from them so that they can build a fire and leave the girls to talk to the boys. Cynth and Candy try to be polite, but the situation puts too much pressure on them, and so the conversation is forced and stilted.
Meanwhile, the Older Sisters arrange the wood and try unsuccessfully to light the fire. "Which way do these matches go...?" Aggie mutters. Candy shakes her head. "You were smoking. Don't you have lighters?" It dawns on the college co-eds. The Older Sisters admonish each other for their foolishness: "Of course, you can use them to light fires as well...!" The fire duly sputters into life as a still, quiet night descends on the quiet woods.
Exeter Regent, int. Late afternoon.
Back in the wilds of Exeter, Brian walks into the Exeter Regent, feeling a little out of place. "You've come a long way, Brian," he says to himself as he looks around at the gold and marble burgundy interior with its monkey-suited flunkeys and imported crystal fountains gushing claret. Brian has spared no expense to make a good impression: he's used the good aftershave, and is even wearing matching socks. He announces himself at the desk, "Doctor Stevens to see Mister Madsen," and is escorted up to the penthouse suite.
The door is answered by Mister Pipe, who ushers the academic into the presence of the Texas Titan. Madsen's voice rings out to Pipe and Brian as a large black chair turns to face them -- Brian's relieved to see he's not stroking a fluffy white cat...
Madsen gets right down to it: Brian must be interested in this thing, the "Bow-champ Theorem-" "Beauchamp," Brian corrects, his linguist side getting the better of him. "Whatever..." Madsen continues, otherwise why would he be after Volume V of the Tempus Nocturne. Brian witters on about how he needs the volume to plug the gaps in his research. Madsen replies that he'd be glad to help, and suggests that the talk further over some dinner. Brian agrees.
"Great, it's a date," Madsen beams.
Stevens-Knight household, int. Late afternoon.
Meantime, at the Stevens-Knight household, Meryll is serving her suburb-famous meatloaf. She's not her usual perky self. Zak asks her what's wrong. She admits she's found another of Brian's "to be opened in the event I do not return" letters in his study. Zak is angered by this (it's the first he's heard of this behaviour). Meryll just wants to straighten things out: "There's no room for secrets in this house."
Ext. Camp woods. Afternoon.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, it's swimming time. Cynth, Candy, Andrew and Max splash, play, and tentatively talk. Cynth and Andrew play tag, which eventually takes them further out into the lake. Before they really know it, they're treading water near the middle of the lake. The others watch from shore, interested at what may be developing between the two, who really seemed to be getting into their game of tag.
Andrew and Candy talk about summer camp. Candy says she didn't want to go to camp, but did want to do archery. Andrew looks like he's waiting for the right time for something. "Do you want to go out?" he asks.
Candy acts confused. "Out where?"
Andrew screws up his courage. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Candy's been dreading this. "Well, normally I... you see, it's just that... I'm really busy, and-and it hasn't worked out before-"
"It'll be different this time," Andrew assures her.
"...and strange stuff seems to happen whenever I'm around, and-and-"
Andrew isn't perturbed by any of Candy's explanations.
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