T&B Go Sledding Together


It's a cold, winter night. Todd enters Rodi's -- Blair is there, too. In the time that has passed since they last saw once another, several things have happened. The hospital rapist, Powell Lord, has been caught and captured. Todd's former flame, Rebecca Lewis, has left Llanview for good. Blair has been getting closer to new boyfriend Cord Roberts. Unfortunately, on this particular evening, Cord has cancelled his plans with Blair in favor of going sledding with Tina and his kids. Though Todd has no way of knowing that, just as Blair has no way of knowing that Todd's father, Peter Manning, has just recently passed away. Todd is returning from Chicago, where he visited Peter on his death-bed.

When Todd gets to Rodi's, he heads straight for the bar.


Todd: Hey, Jonesy. Nice fringe. Give me a beer, will you?

Blair sees Todd and heads over toward him. Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do" (Is Have Some Fun) is playing on the jukebox.

Blair: Hey there, handsome.
Jonesy: (handing the beer to Todd) There you go.
Todd: Blair. What are you doing here?
Blair: Well, I think it's time that you and me had some fun. What do you think?

Todd stares at her, considering.

--end scene--

Blair: Well, I think it's time we had us some fun -- you and me.
Todd: Oh, you think so huh?
Blair: Yeah.
Todd: I'll tell you Blair, it's been a long, miserable day. But what the hell? Maybe I'm up for it. Depends on what you have in mind.
Blair: Well, we're talking thrills, chills -- the whole ball of wax. And it is Saturday night and it's time to pull out all the stops on Saturday night, right?

Blair leans in close to Todd as she talks to him. She's definitely got his attention.

Todd: What stops you talkin' about pulling?
Blair: How would you like...to go sledding with me?

Upon hearing this, Todd loses interest and turns back to the bar. Blair seems a little surprised.

--end scene--

Blair: Now, what is so terrible about going sledding?
Todd: You mean aside from the fact that I don't want to go?
Blair: Oh, yes, you do, and it'll be fun.
Todd: You know who I ran into at the airport?
Blair: No, no, no, who?
Todd: Rebecca. She was on her way back to Texas for good. I'm never going to see her again. And you know that guy, that safe choice that she thought she was in love with? That was Powell Lord. And he turned out to be the hospital rapist. He's the one who tried to kill me, Blair. Twice.
Blair: Yeah, I know, I saw it on t.v. Look, it's a bummer, okay? Life is full of surprises and sometimes you never get what you want, but the best way to get over it is to go sledding with me.
Todd: Maybe it was all for the best.
Blair: Oh, definitely! We'll get some great exercise, so come on, let's go, Todd.
Todd: I'm talking about Rebecca going away.
Blair: Okay, well, that does put you ahead on the "Most Pathetic Contest" but I am not about to declare you winner yet. Look, I've had people dump me and go off, too. In fact, it happened just tonight.
Todd: There's something else.
Blair: What?
Todd: My dad died.

Blair is shocked -- and very concerned about Todd.

Blair: Todd, I'm -- I'm sorry. Are you okay?
Todd: Yeah. It was just really weird, though, you know? I mean, he kept talking to me about how he'd changed, I'd changed. He had changed. He was even...

Todd trails off, and then shakes his head back and forth a bit, as if to clear his head.

Todd: Nevermind, man. I have been thinking about this the whole time back from Chicago. That's enough.
Blair: Look, I'm -- I'm really sorry. Todd: Thanks. Gotta admit, though, it puts me ahead on points. I mean, not only does the woman I love fly off into the sunset but now I'm an orphan, too.
Blair: Well, I certainly can't compete with that. I just had somebody stand me up for a date. Come on, Todd. The best way to get that off of your mind is to go sledding with me. Come on, Todd -- one run down Cemetary Hill. It'll be fun.
Todd: I don't know, Blair. I mean, sledding -- it's so cold.
Blair: Oh, but it's so exhilarating. Come on.
Todd: Why is this so important to you?
Blair: I don't know. I just want to go, that's all -- I mean we deserve a little fun, don't we? And I do believe I did save your life, so you can't turn me down now.
Todd: My God, you're like a pit bull.
Blair: (laughing) Oh, come on.
Todd: All right, Blair.
Blair: Oh great!
Todd: But we have a problem.
Blair: What?
Todd: We don't have a sled.
Blair: (realizing he has a point) A small problem, but when there is a will, there is a --

Blair looks around and then spots an empty tray on the bar.

Blair: -- way. No problem! (grabbing the tray from the counter) Jonsey, we're just going to borrow this for a minute!

Blair starts dragging a reluctant Todd out of the bar.

Blair: Come on, Todd, let's go, right now, right now, come on, come on, come on, come on!
Jonesy: Hey, wait! My tray!

--end scene--

When the scene returns, Todd and Blair have just come back up the hill after sledding down it. They are out of breath and laughing.

Todd: I think my stitches came out.
Blair: (laughing) See, I told you it would be fun!
Todd: Yeah, you didn't tell me you were going to be a total chicken.
Blair: Chicken? Hey, I just didn't want to end up like a bug on a windshield because of that oak tree, which you were heading right for, thank you very much!

Blair laughs a bit and then glances around back toward the bottom of the hill. Todd notices.

Todd: Who do you keep looking for, Blair?
Blair: Nobody.
Todd: (shrugs) Okay. Man, I'll tell you, I remember doing stuff like this all the time. We used to steal the trays out of the university cafeteria and go sledding out behind campus. Rip-roaring drunk. Seems like a hundred years ago.

Todd turns back to Blair.

Todd: All right, Blair, you going to tell me now or are you going to tell me later?
Blair: What?
Todd: Why you really dragged me out here.

Blair stays quiet -- it's easy to see that she's embarrassed. But Todd continues to try to coax the answer out of her.

Todd: Come on, man, relax, you can tell me. I won't laugh, I promise.
Blair: Um...I've been seeing someone.
Todd: Yeah?
Blair: Cord Roberts. You know him, right?
Todd: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I like Cord. C.J. and Sarah are great kids.
Blair: Yeah, well...yeah, he's the guy who stood me up tonight -- for a date with his ex-wife.
Todd: I see. They weren't going sledding by any chance?
Blair: Look, don't laugh at me, okay?

But Todd's not laughing -- he's very serious.

Todd: I'm not laughing, am I? I'm just trying to sort all this out, put the pieces together. He stood you up and you were hoping to run into him out where with me to make him jealous?
Blair: Don't -- don't laugh, okay?
Todd: I'm not laughing -- yet. You honestly think that if Cord saw you and me together he'd be jealous? Think about it, Blair, what's he gonna be jealous of? My prison record? That I have no family, no friends, no money?
Blair: Hey, Todd. Come on. Don't sell yourself short here.
Todd: Why not?
Blair: Because I said so! Look, you and me have more in common than you may know.
Todd: I don't know about that, babe. At least you know who you are. I'm beginning to think I have no idea.

--end scene--

When the scene returns, Todd and Blair are sitting next to one another on what's either a snow covered fallen log or a rock.

Todd: I feel like my whole life is drifting. I used to be this super-jock. One of my five basic food groups was beer...and my big worry was making sure I passed all my courses so I wouldn't lose all my eligibility. And now I'm an ex-con with no family...no friends...no future...and no idea what to do next. I feel like I've been cut loose, like I'm one of those astronauts just floating, you know?
Blair: (quietly) I guess.
Todd: (sighs) Now, one thing -- you know, I just can't get this out of my mind. My dad was not exactly Mr. Sensitive. But when I saw him on his deathbed, it's like he knew how I felt.
Blair: What?

Todd reaches for a key hanging from a chain around his neck. He holds it up to the moonlight so Blair can see it.

Todd: He, uh, he gave me this right before he died. And he said, "Find out who you are."
Blair: That's amazing. That is -- that is amazing.
Todd: Why?
Blair: I used to have this fantasy when I was a little girl. I grew up in an orphanage and --

Todd fake yawns, then smiles at Blair and shrugs it off a bit.

Todd: I'm sorry. Points for you, huh?
Blair: Well, anyway, I didn't know who my mother or Aunt Dorian was until I was in my 20s, but I used to have this dream that this handsome man would one day come to the orphanage and give me this key -- this golden key -- and he'd say, "Blair, I'm going to unlock all the doors for you." And then the man -- he wouldn't just end up being my father, he would end up being a king, too.
Todd: And that would make you a princess.
Blair: (laughing) Yes, it would. That's me.
Todd: Nice fantasy. Somehow I don't think my life's going to wind up being such a fairy tale.
Blair: Oh, come on, Todd. Hey, you never know. Maybe that's what your dad was trying to tell you -- go out and find out who you are. Who knows, you could end up being a prince.
Todd: Yeah right.
Blair: Maybe.
Todd: Well, look, if you've got enough snow down your back, I want to head to Rodi's get another beer.

But Blair has become distracted looking at something off in the distance, past the woods.

Blair: Wait, wait, wait a minute. Is that Cassie and Andrew's car over there?
Todd: What, the one off the road?
Blair: Yeah.
Todd: Reverend Carpenter? I don't know. How would you know?
Blair: Well, I mean, he is the Episcopal priest, and the decal on the back -- yeah, that's his car.
Todd: Wow, you'd be a great cop.
Blair: Wait a minute. That is definitely their car, and that's Marty's house over there on the other side of the woods, isn't it?

--end scene--

Todd: So what's with you? So Andrew and Cassie went to visit Marty. What's the big deal, they're all buddy-buddy, right?
Blair: That's kind of strange, bringing the baby out on such a cold, snowy night.
Todd: Whatever. This hot chocolate sucks. I'm going to go get a beer at Rodi's -- you wanna come?
Blair: No. You know, actually, I think I want to go over to Marty's to say hello -- you wanna go?
Todd: Are you kidding?
Blair: Well, we could go and we could get a drink there.
Todd: What are we going to do, sit around the fire and swap stories? Think about it, Blair -- I don't want to go to Marty's house! Look, I'm going back to Rodi's to get a beer. You coming with me or not, because I'm leaving.
Blair: You know what, actually I do -- I want to go over and and see Marty and see if Cassie and Andrew are there and find out how Andrew's father is doing, okay?
Todd: Whatever.
Blair: Look, thank you for tonight, though -- really, thanks.
Todd: Sure. It was fun, and it took my mind off of -- you know.
Blair: Good. So, give me a call sometime maybe?
Todd: Oh yeah. Next time I want to hear a fairy tale, I'll call you.

Todd turns to leave, but Blair calls him back.

Blair: Todd? Don't forget the, uh, tray.
Todd: Are you sure you're okay?
Blair: Yeah, I'll be fine. Cassie and Andrew are over there, they'll give me a ride home. Thanks, though.
Todd: Yeah. So long.

Todd and Blair part ways.

--end scene--

Todd heads back to Rodi's and delivers the tray (now totally bent out of shape) to Jonesy at the bar.

Todd: There you go, Jonesy.
Jonesy: (looking less than thrilled) It's, uh, kinda banged up.
Todd: Nevermind what kind of condition it's in. You just be grateful you got it back.

Todd pauses a moment, appearing to be thinking something over.

Todd: It's the little things in life, Jonesy.

He breaks out into a pleased smile, and now it's clear that he's remembering his time sledding with Blair. Then he snaps out of it -- back to the business of being at the bar.

Todd: Give me a beer, will you?

As Todd settles onto his stool and waits for his beer, he hears Blair's voice from earlier in his head: "You never know. Maybe that's what your dad was trying to tell you -- go out and find out who you are. Who knows, you could end up being a prince."

Todd: (scoffing) Yeah, right.

Jonesy gives him his beer, and after he thanks her, he goes back to being lost in thought.

Todd: What were you trying to tell me, Dad?

--end transcript--


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