Episode 43 - "Goodbye"

This episode won two Emmy Awards - for Directing and Writing. It was also nominated for several others.



(Camera zooms in slowly on an open yearbook, then closer shot as it pans across pictures of teachers.)

Teachers never die. They live in your memory forever. They were there when you arrived, they were there when you left. Like fixtures. Once in a while they taught you something. But not that often. And, you never really knew them, any more than they knew you. Still, for awhile, you believed in them. And, if you were lucky, maybe there was one who believed in you.

(Fade to Mr. Collins writing on the blackboard.)

MR. COLLINS: To find the quotient plus the remainder, you divide the polynomials. We shall find that...

Mr. Collins wasn't your average teacher. He was more like...a force of nature. He was kind of a mathematical whirlwind - a tornado of chalk. He was full of surprises.

MR. COLLINS: Alright...

And, he never let up.

MR. COLLINS: Who can give me...the quotient?

(One girl raises her hand. Mr. Collins points to her in acknowledgment.)

GIRL: 3X+2Y?

MR. COLLINS: No.

(One boy raises his hand. Mr. Collins points.)

BOY: 2Y squared?

MR. COLLINS: No...anybody else?

Sure he was tough, but you had to respect him, and you wanted him to respect you, too. At least I did.

(Kevin and others raise hands.)

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Arnold.

KEVIN: 2X+Y?

MR. COLLINS: Correct.

Heh-heh.

MR. COLLINS: And the remainder?

KEVIN: Uh...six?

(Mr. Collins frowns, and walks to the chalkboard.)

MR. COLLINS: The answer...is...12Y+3.

OK - so I wasn't exactly God's gift to polynomials. But I was doing my best, and Collins knew it. At least, I think he did.

(Bell rings.)

MR. COLLINS: For your homework...study Unit 17, Section 4. These are your last week's quizzes, please pass them back.

After all, we'd been through a lot, the old man and I. We had a history. And the fact is, thanks to him, I'd brought myself from a "D"...to a "C", a respectable "C". Nothing wrong with that.

PAUL: (V/O) Darn it!

Cut to

On the bus

Unless, of course, you happen to be Paul Pfeiffer.

HOBSON: What's wrong with him?

PAUL: I'll tell you what's wrong - this!

HOBSON: An "A"?! You got an "A" in Collins' advanced class?

PAUL: It's not an "A". It's an "A-". I blew it.

Now with anyone else this might seem like bragging - but Paul wasn't a braggart. "A"'s just came to him - like hives.

HOBSON: Bet you could just kick yourself.

KEVIN: Lay off, Hobson.

PAUL: I'm gonna tape this to my locker door as a warning.

(Kevin notices Collins' note on Paul's paper - "Good job, Paul.")

PAUL: One little boner and the whole academic year goes right down -

KEVIN: Paul? What's this?

PAUL: Oh, just something Collins wrote.

KEVIN: Mr. Collins wrote that?

PAUL: Yeah, why?

KEVIN: Nothing...

(Kevin looks away.)

KEVIN: Does he do that often?

PAUL: Sometimes. Doesn't he do that with you?

KEVIN: Oh, sure! Once in awhile.

If by "once in awhile" you meant "never". Not that I was jealous, exactly.

(Bell rings.)

Cut to

Classroom

(Shot of Mr. Collins looking at papers on his desk. Kevin enters the door in the background.)

Still, the next day I showed up early for class. Thought I'd have a little chat with the big guy - chew the fat. After all, we were practically on a first-name basis.

KEVIN: Mr. Collins?

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Arnold.

KEVIN: I was...just...wondering, about...how you thought I was doing.

(Shot of Mr. Collins. He is expressionless.)

KEVIN: I mean, generally. Overall.

(Shot of Mr. Collins. He is expressionless.)

KEVIN: In math.

There! Clean and quick.

(Mr. Collins looks down toward his gradebook, and slides it toward himself.)

One simple "Good job!" and I'd be on my way.

MR. COLLINS: Let's check...

(Shot of Mr. Collins looking at the book, with Kevin in the background.)

MR. COLLINS: According to my records, you've been getting..."C"'s.

(Mr. Collins looks up at Kevin.)

MR. COLLINS: Is that correct?

(Kevin nods and looks away.)

KEVIN: Well...yes.

(Mr. Collins looks back to the book, closes it, and tosses it toward the rest of his things. He puts his hands together on the desk, and looks at Kevin.)

(Shot past Kevin of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: Was there anything else?

(Shot past Mr. Collins of Kevin. He looks away.)

KEVIN: Well...no, except...

(Kevin looks at Mr. Collins and smiles.)

KEVIN: Would you say I'm doing well? Or not so well?

MR. COLLINS: How do you feel you're doing?

Penalty! Answering a question with a question - five yards, loss of down.

KEVIN: Well...I guess "C"'s are better than "D"'s...even though they're not as good as "B"'s...

(Shot of Mr. Collins. He is expressionless.)

KEVIN:...or "A"'s.

MR. COLLINS: I see. Thank you for sharing that with me.

(Mr. Collins smiles faintly and looks down.)

Sure, anytime!

(Bell rings.)

(Close shot of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS (To class): Take your seats and open your text books to Unit 17.

(Shot of Mr. Collins and Kevin. Mr. Collins flips through a book and turns toward Kevin.)

MR. COLLINS: Anything else?

KEVIN: No. Nothing.

Nope, nothin' at all.

(Kevin exits toward his desk. Mr. Collins looks at his book, then after Kevin.)


Int. Night - Kevin's Bedroom

(Close shot of Kevin doing homework.)

Except that night, I couldn't get it out of my mind.

(Jack leans up against the doorway in the background.)

JACK: How's it coming there, sport?

(Shot past Jack of Kevin.)

KEVIN: Uh...fine.

(Closer shot of Jack.)

JACK: Heard you brought home a quiz.

(Closer shot of Kevin as he holds up his quiz.)

KEVIN: Yeah. Another "C".

JACK: Uh, well, there's nothing to be ashamed of there. Right?

(Kevin puts his quiz down and half-heartedly smiles.)

KEVIN: Right, Dad.

(Jack smiles and exits.)

(Shot of Kevin looking at his quiz.)

But suddenly, for some reason, that respectable "C" didn't feel so...respectable.

(Kevin resumes doing his homework.)

Fade to

Classroom

(Mr. Collins is handing out quizzes.)

MR. COLLINS: These are the results of Tuesday's quizzes.

(Shot of Kevin's quiz, with a red "B" on it.)

KEVIN: "B"! I got a "B"!

(Bell rings.)

MR. COLLINS: Your mid-term exam...will be two weeks from tomorrow. I suggest you begin studying for it now.

(Students exit.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at his test and smiling.)

But who cared about two weeks from now? This was a red-letter day.

(Kevin stands and looks at Mr. Collins off-screen.)

KEVIN: Mr. Collins?

(Shot of Mr. Collins putting on his jacket.)

MR. COLLINS: Yes?

(Shot of Kevin smiling, and holding his quiz up.)

Ta-da!

KEVIN: A "B"!

MR. COLLINS: Yes. I know.

Ta-da!

(Mr. Collins exits.)

That was it?

(Close shot of Kevin looking after Mr. Collins off-screen.)

What was it gonna take here?

Cut to
Ext. Morning - School Quad

The next morning I showed up early for school.

KEVIN: Mr. Collins?

It was time for a talk, no holds barred - mano a mano.

MR. COLLINS: I've been thinking about what you asked me, Mr. Arnold.

KEVIN: You have?

MR. COLLINS: I believe I understand.

OK, then. No hard feelings. Let 'em come - the kudos, the accolades...

MR. COLLINS: And, I think I can help.

KEVIN: I beg you pardon?

MR. COLLINS: There's not much time. We can start this afternoon.

Naturally, one or two questions sprang to mind.

KEVIN: Start what?

MR. COLLINS: Preparing for your mid-term examination. We have two weeks and a lot of ground to cover.

KEVIN: But I didn't say anything about an exam!

MR. COLLINS: We can work in the afternoon, after school.

KEVIN: Wait a minute!

Heck, all I wanted here was a little applause for a job well done, and he's giving me -

MR. COLLINS: An opportunity to do your best. Isn't that why you came to me? You said...a "C" is better than a "D", but not as good as an "A".

KEVIN: Well, sure, but...I didn't mean that -

MR. COLLINS: I think you can get that "A", Mr. Arnold. And I think you want to.

KEVIN: An "A"? In math?

And suddenly it was clear - the man had completely lost his mind.

KEVIN: Look -

MR. COLLINS: Let me know what you decide.

(Mr. Collins starts to walk away.)

KEVIN: Mr. Collins?

(Mr. Collins pauses and turns back to Kevin.)

KEVIN: I'll never be an "A" student.

MR. COLLINS: That's up to you, Mr. Arnold.

Well, like I said, the man was full of surprises.

(High wide shot of Kevin trotting away to class.)

Cut to
Lockers

It was almost...laughable.

PAUL: Hey, Kev!

KEVIN: Hey.

(Paul walks up to his locker next to Kevin.)

After all, I was no Paul Pfeiffer. I mean, one "B" on one quiz, maybe, but let's not go overboard.

(Close shot of Paul and his quiz taped inside his locker door.)

(Kevin looks at the quiz, then at Paul.)

Cut to

Classroom

(Mr. Collins is in foreground, looking off in thought, as Kevin opens the door and enters in the background.)

(Kevin waits just inside the door, as Mr. Collins turns toward him.)

(Close shot of Mr. Collins.)

(Close shot of Kevin. He sighs.)

KEVIN: When do we start?

(Close shot of Mr. Collins. He leans back slightly, and smiles slightly.)

(Close shot of Kevin smiling slightly.)

Fade to

Classroom

(Wide shot of the classroom. Mr. Collins is writing on the blackboard. Kevin sits at a front-row desk.)

And so, I stepped into the whirlwind.

MR. COLLINS (V/O):...the lowest common denominator...

Every day after school, Mr. Collins and I met to accomplish the improbable.

MR. COLLINS: What law do we apply?

KEVIN: The commutative law.

MR. COLLINS: Not in this case. The commutative law says...

If not the impossible.

Cut to

On the bus

(Close shot of Kevin studying his "Algebra 1" textbook.)

Not that I really believed I was gonna ace that exam...

(The camera moves slightly to include Winnie. She looks at the book, then Kevin. Kevin is intent on studying. Winnie frowns and looks out the window.)

Fade to

Classroom

(Kevin is writing on the chalkboard.)

Still for some reason...

(Kevin looks over his shoulder hesitantly.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins sitting in a student desk.)

Mr. Collins seemed sure I could do it.

(Kevin looks back to the board and continues the equation.)

And if he believed it, well, maybe anything was possible. But it wasn't all hard work. It was something...more.

(Camera pans with Mr. Collins as he leans forward, to include Kevin.)

It was the man himself.

(Fade to another angle of them studying at a desk. Kevin is looking on intently. The camera zooms in on Kevin slightly.)

I liked him. I was getting to know him, and he was getting to know me.

(Fade to shot of Kevin at the board.)

We never talked about anything personal.

(Kevin turns away from the board. The camera pans slightly, to include Mr. Collins standing near the window, holding his textbook.)

We didn't have to.

MR. COLLINS: That's correct, Mr. Arnold.

Talking math was enough.

Fade to

Hallway

(Kevin comes down the stairs. The camera rolls back as Kevin walks up the hallway.)

And I was actually beginning to consider the chance I might not get massacred on that-

(Kevin tries to open the locked classroom door. He frowns, jiggles the handle again, and looks through the glass.)

(Close shot of Kevin through the glass.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins' empty desk.)

(Close shot of Kevin through the glass, as he turns away.)

(Shot of Kevin looking puzzled.)

Fade to

Parking lot

(Mr. Collins stands near the back of his car. His briefcase sits on the car. Kevin is approaching in the background.)

KEVIN: Mr. Collins?!

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Arnold.

KEVIN: I thought you...we're supposed to -

MR. COLLINS: I'm afraid I can't make it today. I have an appointment.

KEVIN: Oh.

(Shot of Kevin frowning in thought. Mr. Collins is arranging his briefcase in the foreground.)

"An appointment"? Was he joking? The test was Friday, and he has an appointment?

(Kevin glances around, then looks at Mr. Collins.)

KEVIN: Well, then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

(Shot over Kevin's shoulder of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: I'm afraid I won't be here tomorrow either.

(Mr. Collins opens the trunk.)

KEVIN: Oh.

(Shot of Kevin. Mr. Collins' arms are in the near foreground, organizing the trunk.)

Jeez, the guy sure looked in a hurry to get out of there. Maybe he'd maybe he robbed a cash-register or something.

KEVIN: We still have six more units to cover.

(Shot of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: I'm afraid you'll have to prepare on your own, Mr. Arnold. You still have functions and...real numbers to review. Ah, that's units twelve, through, uh...

(Shot of Kevin.)

KEVIN: I can't do those on my own!

(Shot of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: I suggest you try. They will be on the examination.

(Shot of Kevin. He sighs.)

KEVIN: Look, Mr. Collins...

(Kevin smiles slightly.)

KEVIN: This whole thing was your idea. You...

(Kevin gets serious.)

KEVIN: We kinda had a deal.

(Shot of Mr. Collins. He is expressionless.)

(Shot of Kevin. He is puzzled.)

KEVIN: Didn't we?

(Shot of Mr. Collins. He starts to back up slowly.)

MR. COLLINS: I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll be back for the exam on Friday.

(Mr. Collins turns away, and moves toward the car door. Kevin follows.)

KEVIN: Wait!

(Mr. Collins is reaching for the handle.)

I felt betrayed. Here I was, practically begging for the man to help...

(Mr. Collins opens the door, and is getting the ignition key. Kevin is in the background.)

And the man was throwing me an anvil for a life-jacket.

KEVIN: I -

(Shot from behind Kevin as Mr. Collins turns toward him.)

(Close shot of Kevin. He sighs and looks away. He sighs again and looks at Mr. Collins.)

But there was nothing more to say, except for one thing.

KEVIN: I thought you were my friend.

(Close shot of Mr. Collins. He is expressionless.)

(Close shot of Kevin frowning.)

(Close shot of Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: Not your friend, Mr. Arnold. Your teacher.

(Close shot of Kevin looking disappointed.)

KEVIN: Oh...

And that was that - in spades. The big kiss-off.

(Shot of Mr. Collins getting in his car.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking disappointed.)

And I was left...with nothing. Nothing but rage.

Fade to

Classroom

(Bell rings.)

(Mr. Collins is handing out quizzes.)

MR. COLLINS: Put your books on the floor, and your pencils on your desk.

By the day of the test I'd made up my mind. I knew what I had to do.

(Shot of Kevin passing the tests behind him.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins looking at his watch.)

MR. COLLINS: You have the entire period to complete the exam. Begin.

(Shot from Kevin's perspective of Mr. Collins.)

(Shot of Kevin looking at Mr. Collins off-screen. He frowns.)

(Close shot of Mr. Collins looking first at Kevin, then down, as he starts to walk around.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at Mr. Collins off-screen, then at the test.)

OK, then. Time to get to work.

(Close shot of Kevin's test. He has already written "Let him get out and walk", and writes "Who cares?", "So what?", draws a "smiley face", 4 question marks, and "Factor this!" to the questions.)

(Bell rings.)

(Wide shot from the back of the class. Students start to get up.)

MR. COLLINS: Your time is up. Please bring your exams to the desk.

(Close shot of Kevin still sitting at his desk, looking at Mr. Collins off-screen. Kevin starts to get his things from under the desk.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins as students turn in their tests.)

(Close shot of Kevin standing and starting to walk forward.)

(Wide shot from the back of the class. Kevin approaches Mr. Collins as the last of the students exit.)

(Close shot of Mr. Collins and Kevin. Kevin hands his paper directly to Mr. Collins.)

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Arnold.

(Mr. Collins looks down at Kevin's paper.)

(Shot from over Mr. Collins' shoulder of Kevin, who is looking directly at Mr. Collins.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins looking up at Kevin with disappointment.)

(Close shot of Kevin. He looks at Mr. Collins, then walks off.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins looking after Kevin.)

MR. COLLINS: Kevin...

(Shot through the doorway, with Mr. Collins at his desk in the background, looking at Kevin. Kevin approaches and passes the camera.)

But I wasn't buyin'. He'd said it was up to me. So I made my choice.

(Shot from rear of classroom of Mr. Collins. He looks at Kevin's test, and leans back in his chair.)

An "F". A perfectly respectable "F".

Fade to
Int. Arnold Living Room

(Kevin, Wayne, and Jack are watching TV. Kevin is smiling.)

Course I was pretty proud of myself, all afternoon, and well into prime-time that night.

(Shot thought the window of Kevin sitting at his desk. He leans back and sighs. The camera zooms out slowly.)

After that, well...

Fade to
School Hallway

(Kevin is walking up the hallway. The camera rolls back with him.)

I guess you could say it was one of the longer weekends in my life.

(Kevin stops at the faculty lounge door.)

I'd watched enough "Victory at Sea" re-runs to sink a ship.

(Kevin knocks on the door.)

(A woman opens the door.)

KEVIN: I need to speak to Mr. Collins. Please.

WOMAN: Just a moment.

(The woman exits.)

(Kevin waits at the open doorway, and looks behind him.)

OK. So I felt bad. For me, for Collins. After all, he probably had a good reason for -

(Mr. Diperna appears in the doorway.)

MR. DIPERNA: Arnold.

(Shot past Mr. Diperna of Kevin.)

MR. DIPERNA (V/O): Can I help you?

KEVIN: I'm, uh, looking for Mr. Collins.

MR. DIPERNA: I'm afraid he's not here.

KEVIN: Well, could I leave him a message?

Sure. Set up a pow-wow, formal peace talks...anything.

MR. DIPERNA: Um...Mr. Collins passed away this morning.

(Shot of Kevin.)

MR. DIPERNA: He, uh...he was at home. We just got the bad news.

(Kevin looks down.)

MR. DIPERNA: He's been not well for awhile. It was his heart.

(Kevin looks up.)

MR. DIPERNA: I'm sorry to have to break the news to you, now. I'll be making a formal announcement later in the day. Meanwhile, I'll be taking over most of his classes.

Fade to
Classroom

(Shot of Mr. Diperna through the blinds of the window. He is speaking to the class.)

MR. DIPERNA:...how much respect Mr. Collins had from his fellow teachers. He, uh...he was a fine man.

(Mr. Diperna looks out the window and nods.)

MR. DIPERNA: A fine teacher.

Fade to
Classroom

(Shot of a empty classroom. All the desks have been stacked on each other.)

When you're thirteen, life is a series of events. One thing happens, then another...things go on.

Fade to
Cafeteria

(Wide shot of cafeteria. Some students are seated, some are finding a seat.)

Maybe it has to do with the resilience of the human spirit.

(Close shot of Kevin carrying his tray, looking for a seat.)

The ability to survive. Anyway, by the next week, life was pretty much back to normal. For most of us.

(Kevin sits at the table with Hobson and Paul.)

As for me, well, I'd survive too.

(Shot of Paul and Hobson. Paul frowns as he dribbles Jell-O onto his plate.)

I had my health, my friends, and of course...

(Close shot of Kevin frowning and looking down.)

My own private hell.

(Shot of Paul and Hobson. Hobson pulls Paul's quiz out of his book.)

HOBSON: My, my - another ace.

PAUL: Hey, it's none of your business. Give it back!

(Shot past Hobson of Kevin looking at them.)

PAUL (V/O): Come on - it's mine.

HOBSON: I heard the new, uh...

(Shot of Paul and Hobson.)

HOBSON: Advanced math teacher is a chick. Planning on becoming the new teacher's pet?

PAUL: Very funny, Hobson.

(Close shot of Kevin looking down, then toward the guys off-screen.)

PAUL (V/O): She happens to be very smart. She needs a little work on her delivery, but...

HOBSON (V/O): Oh, I bet.

PAUL (V/O): What do you know?

KEVIN: Will you guys just knock it off?

(Shot of Paul and Hobson.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking toward the guys off-screen.)

KEVIN: You're such clowns.

(Shot of Paul and Hobson.)

HOBSON: Oooooh, ooooh.

(Shot of Kevin. He frowns and throws his Jell-o at Hobson.)

(Shot of Hobson frowning and standing up.)

HOBSON: Hey!

(Shot of Kevin looking at Hobson.)

MR. DIPERNA (V/O): Gentlemen?!

(Kevin turns toward Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

(Wider shot of the table. Mr. Diperna is behind Kevin. Hobson is standing.)

MR. DIPERNA: What's going on here?

(Closer shot of Kevin as Hobson sits. Kevin looks at his tray.)

KEVIN: Nothing. It's nothing.

(Kevin frowns and shakes his head.)

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna.)

MR. DIPERNA: See me in my classroom...

(Close shot of Kevin glancing at Hobson, then Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA (V/O): Three o'clock.

(Shot of Mr. Diperna.)

MR. DIPERNA: Sharp.

(Wide shot of the table. Mr. Diperna slowly walks away, looking over his shoulder.)

HOBSON: Forty lashes, Arnold. Nice goin'.

(Close shot of Kevin looking at Hobson off-screen. He stands and walks away.)

Cut to
Classroom

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna in profile, seated at the desk. The open doorway is in the background.)

(Bell rings.)

(Kevin appears in the doorway, and pauses there.)

(Mr. Diperna looks toward Kevin.)

(Shot from Kevin's perspective of Mr. Diperna at the desk.)

MR. DIPERNA: Arnold.

(Mr. Diperna motions him in.)

MR. DIPERNA: Come in.

(Close shot of Kevin. He sighs.)

KEVIN: Yes, sir.

(Wide shot of Kevin approaching Mr. Diperna.)

It was about the last place on earth I wanted to be at that moment.

(The camera rolls in slowly.)

MR. DIPERNA: Something odd has occurred. Perhaps you can shed some light on it.

And somehow I knew, as soon as I saw that envelope.

MR. DIPERNA: Mid-term examinations. All of them.

(Close shot of Kevin looking at Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at the tests off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: All of them, that is...except yours.

(He looks toward Kevin off-screen.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at the tests and Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

KEVIN: What?

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin, then at the tests off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: Apparently, Mr. Collins graded these tests the weekend that, uh...

(He looks toward Kevin off-screen.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: Well, in any event, it seems yours was misplaced.

(Close shot of Kevin looking down, then at Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

KEVIN: Oh...

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: The question now is what do we do about it. You need a grade.

(Shot past Mr. Diperna of Kevin. Mr. Diperna leans back in his chair.)

MR. DIPERNA: Do you have any suggestions?

KEVIN: No, sir.

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: Well...

(He looks toward the tests off-screen.)

MR. DIPERNA: Collins did.

(Mr. Diperna holds up a blank test, with Kevin's name on it.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at the test, then Mr. Diperna off-screen. He takes the test and looks at it.)

MR. DIPERNA (V/O): Fifty minutes, Arnold.

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna as he points to the desks.)

MR. DIPERNA: You may begin.

(Shot of Kevin glancing at the test and Mr. Diperna off-screen.)

(Fade to wider shot of Kevin seated in the middle of the classroom. Mr. Diperna is standing near the window. The camera circle slowly.)

As I took that test, I thought about...a lot of things. About how I knew him, and yet, I didn't. About how he treated me like a man, and how I'd acted like a child. About how I let him down, and now I wouldn't. The thing is, even though I could almost feel him in the room, I knew I didn't need him for the answers - or the praise.

(The camera is close in front of Kevin. He looks up from his test.)

I was on my own, now.

(Kevin glances around, sighs, then resumes his test.)

(Fade to high wide shot of the classroom. Kevin is sitting in the central desk as Mr. Diperna approaches. Kevin hands his test to Mr. Diperna.)

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin off-screen. Mr. Diperna holds the test up, and looks at it.)

(Close shot of Kevin. He sighs, then looks up to Mr. Diperna.)

KEVIN: You don't have to grade it.

(Close shot of Mr. Diperna looking at Kevin.)

(Close shot of Kevin looking at Mr. Diperna.)

KEVIN: It's an "A".

(Kevin looks at Mr. Diperna as he rises.)

(Shot of Mr. Diperna watching Kevin collect his things, and walking away.)

(Shot of Kevin approaching the camera. Mr. Diperna is in the background. Kevin passes the camera.)

(Shot of the Kevin walking away from the camera toward the open doorway.)

MR. COLLINS (V/O): Mr. Arnold.

(Kevin pauses and looks over his shoulder.)

(Shot of Mr. Collins sitting at his desk, hands together, looking toward Kevin and smiling.)

(Shot of Kevin. He hesitates.)

KEVIN: Good job, Mr. Collins.

(Shot of Mr. Collins as he resumes his work.)

(Mr. Collins fades from the scene.)

(Shot of Kevin glancing around the classroom. "Goodbye, My Friend" starts. Kevin turns and walks away. The camera pans with him. He walks down the empty hallway, and out the door.)

(Fade to shot of Mr. Collins' empty desk. The camera zooms in slowly.)

(Fade to black-and-white photo of Mr. Collins at his desk, looking at the camera. The camera zooms out, revealing "In Memoriam" - "Arthur A. Collins" "1919-1970")

Fade to
CLOSING CREDITS

Supporting Cast
Mr. Collins - Stephen Gilborn
Mr. Diperna - Raye Birk
Craig Hobson - Sean Baca

Music
"Goodbye My Friend" - Karla Bonhoff > Linda Rondstadt or Mary Hopkin



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02/02/05 19:40