February 2000
In a scene reminiscent of his flight from Llanview, Todd
is seen in the cabin of, this time, a private jet. He is in
a reverie about the past year he has spent in therapy in
Switzerland with a colleague of Nora's sister. We see
flashbacks of him and his doctor, a kind older woman
with an accent, and we see flashbacks, within
the flashbacks, of his childhood. One of these explains
the origin of the not-so-fake personality "Rod."
Todd leaves off his remembrances to make a phone
call. We hear a law firm identified on the other end, then
an attorney put through. "I'm coming back to Llanview,"
Todd says, "but I thought I'd check one last time..."
"No," the attorney replies, "Mrs. Manning still has not
contacted me."
The music woven throughout this scene is "Letting
the Cables Sleep" by Bush.
We next see Tea alone in the evening in the penthouse.
She receives a package by messenger. The package
contains a key and a hand-drawn map to an address in
the countryside outside Llanview. Tea ponders these
a moment, then without further hesitation, grabs her coat
and heads out the door.
We see her driving in the darkness. Fiona Apple's
"Criminal" comes on the car radio. Tea becomes angry
and impatient, and reaches to change the station, but she
cannot. She is compelled to listen to how the words
apply to her treatment of Todd.
Tea pulls into the circular drive of a mansion, and parks
before the entrance. With some trepidation, she tries
opening the front door with the key she has received this
night; the door gives way. The large hall she enters is
empty of furnishings, and dim lamplight and firelight are
coming from only one room.
She follows the light, and Todd emerges from a shadow
and stands before the hearth. This room also has almost
no furniture, but there are two chairs and a coffee table in
front of the fireplace, recalling the arrangement in the
penthouse. There are even pieces of an unsolved jigsaw
puzzle on the coffee table.
When Todd speaks, he is earnest and sometimes
"Tom"-like. Tea acts skeptical and resistant.
Todd: You cut your hair.
Tea: You too.
Todd: You look nice.
Tea: You're looking...well.
Todd: What took you so long?
Tea: (looking at her watch) I got here in half an hour!
Todd: UH-UH -UH! Over a year! You gave up on
the trail of keys.
Tea: How many hoops were you going to make me
jump through?
Todd: How far did you get?
Tea: The airport locker...
Todd: That one led to a trinket box in the penthouse,
and the one in there led to a safe deposit box
that had THAT one (motioning to the key in her
hand) and the address of an attorney. And
the attorney had this. (He hands her a legal
document, the deed to the house.)
Tea: (reads) "Thomas Todd Manning/Tea Delgado
Manning/Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship."
Well, I'll just have to take my name off of this...
Todd: You don't like the house? 'Cos if you don't, we'll
just sell it and buy another one -- something you
like.
Tea: Be serious, Todd.
Todd: I am.
Tea: By the way, this isn't my name anymore. I obtained
an annulment.
Todd: (after a pause) That's OK. So we'll get married
again!
Tea laughs incredulously.
Todd: I didn't want to make you jump through hoops,
Tea. I just wanted to make it, um...INTRIGUING
for you. I don't know if I'd do the same thing
today. I'd have to ask my doctor...
Tea: Your DOCTOR...
Todd: Yeah, my THERAPIST. That's where I've been all
this time. In Switzerland!
Tea: (incredulous again, and mockingly) But you always
RIDICULED therapy, Todd.
Todd: (reaching into his vest pocket) I didn't think you'd
believe me, so I brought a letter from her -- "a note
from my doctor." (He laughs a little and tries to hand
her the letter, but she does not take it.). But you know
what? You can ask Viki. See, I tried to see Viki's
therapist, but that's Nora's sister, and she wouldn't
have me. So she referred me to another doctor,
this neat lady. You'd like her. And, oh, Switzerland,
Tea. It's so beautiful. You'd love it there. You know
what my doctor helped me remember?
Tea: No, WHAT?
Todd: When I was really little, Peter Manning shoved me off
on this female relative of his to babysit me, and she
was married to a Russian immigrant. And he loved
opera! He would go around singing, full of life, you
know? And they had records, and the sheet music,
and the lyric sheets, called LIBRETTI. And that's
where I learned some Italian! And that's where ROD
came from! Isn't that wild?
Tea: (impressed and softening) It's amazing, if it's true...
Todd: Let's go see Viki. She can call Nora's sister, and my
therapist. You'll believe Viki...I've been working hard
for a year, but now my doctor thinks it's time for you
to join me -- for "couples therapy" -- if we're gonna
make a go of this...
Tea: "COUPLES THERAPY"?! ( She is marvelling and
speechless.)
Todd begins pacing.
Todd: I bought this house for you. I thought you'd come
here, and get over being mad at me; that you'd make
it a home. That you'd bring Starr here, and fill it with
her toys, and little girl things...
Tea: What ABOUT Starr, Todd? How could you abandon
your daughter that way?
Todd: I DIDN'T. Nobody knew, but I called her all the time.
And sent her presents, a music box and Switzerland
stuff like that. Blair's not very trustworthy, but I had
to trust her. And Starr -- Starr's good at keeping
secrets.
Tea: (murmuring) Wonder where she gets THAT from...
Todd: But my doctor's made it clear to me, I can't be in and
out of Starr's life like I've been. When she grows up
to be a woman, it could make her --
Tea: Crazy? Like me?
Todd: (playfully waving the letter from his doctor) "Couples
ther-a-py!"
Tea laughs and shakes her head.
Tea: But why the big secret, Todd? Why disappear like
that?
Todd: I wanted the rest of Llanview to forget about me for
a while, everyone but you and Starr. I was
EMBARRASSED, really. I mean, those guys were
EMBARRASSING -- Tom and Rod...
Tea: (really relenting) They weren't so bad. Hey, who am
I kidding? I was CRAZY about them...
Todd: Yeah. At least you liked a part of me. And you know
-- the things they said to you, they were the things
that Todd -- that I -- couldn't say.
Tea: I believed that the whole time, until I found out you
were faking.
Todd: But now I know -- and you've got to know -- it wasn't
faking, in a way, really. Those guys are all a part of me.
That's what my doctor says. Viki told me, too, before
I left Llanview. She's smart.
Tea: What about Pete?
Todd: I've been working on that. But what about
Miss Perkins?
Tea: I was never worried about her. She's just the part of
you that knows what's right and proper, like Viki.
Todd: So does that mean you're coming with me?
Tea: Now, HOLD ON, Todd...
Todd: (enthusiastically, and pacing again) When we come
back, I'm gonna run a newspaper consulting business
on the Internet from here. I'll show you the room I'm
gonna set up in. And -- who knows? Maybe I'll write
my memoirs. And maybe you'll want to work with me.
But if you want to keep doing your lawyer thing, we're
only 30 minutes from Llanview -- like you said. See,
I didn't actually want to live in Llanview again, but I
have to be close by because of Starr. I don't know what
will happen with custody, but she'll have both her
parents now.
Tea: Slow down, Todd!
Todd: Why, Tea? 'Cos, why did you come here tonight?
Tea: (becoming flustered) -- Out of curiosity. And
to disentangle myself from anything like this. (She
holds out the deed.)
Todd: You can't disentangle yourself, Tea, because we're
tangled. We're connected whether we're together or
apart. So you just have to decide which way it's
going to be. Isn't this what you always wanted?
For me to change? For me to try? Well, I'm trying,
Tea, I'm really trying...
Tea: I have obligations in Llanview. Commitments...
Todd: And I have a private jet waiting. It's up to you, Tea.
But it would be terrible to miss out on a chance for
so much happiness just because you wouldn't reach
for it.
The question remains with Tea as she stands in the firelight.
The song "The Dolphin's Cry" by Live begins and
accompanies a montage of flashbacks of Todd and Tea's
relationship, as well as scenes again in the present --
of Todd and Tea with Viki, who is making a phone call, and
of Todd saying good-bye to Starr and promising, next time,
never to leave again. At last we see a night scene of Todd
and Tea at the airport. Tea is just outside the airplane door.
The light from within the cabin falls upon her, and Todd
reaches for her to come inside.
