Beauty World

Teaser

We open with QUINN, as he comes down the steps of the local Brooks Brothers. He is dressed impeccably, in something that is a cross between Victorian formal wear and a 90’s Armani suit.

A Trolley jangles as it moves past a horse-drawn carriage. Elegant couples stroll, everyone says hello. In this world, there seems to be an air of civility, of charm and good fortune. And, we notice, the people are all exceptionally good looking.

Quinn passes through the park. WE HOLD ON a classical statue of a beautiful woman (perhaps Pygmalion’s “Galatea”). A plaque reads: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty. —J. Keats.”

Quinn comes to a gated neighborhood. Everything beyond the gates is run-down, dilapidated. A guard posted checks papers. A sign warns: “Sub-Five division. Enter at your own risk.”

As Quinn passes, the GUARD warns: “Careful, they’re a mean, filthy sort, the sub-fives. As soon as kill you for a tub of hair gel or a stick of deodorant. Not that it would do any of them any stinking good.” The guard laughs.

The underside of a bridge. It’s dark, dank. Fires blaze from communal barrel-hearths. Poor masses huddle around. As Quinn walks through, small children surround him. There is an aura of awe. He hands out small trinkets: travel toothpastes, combs, sticks of deodorant. It’s like gold. And now we notice, the people here, they’re a pretty unappealing group. Ugly, in fact.

He finds ARTURO and WADE, in their cardboard box home. Both look down and out. Dirty hands, dirty faces, clothes that look like they smell. Arturo grouses. He wants to try again at the DMV… A three is ridiculous! Wade tries to assuage him. “It’s only for 72 more hours. This isn’t really so bad.” He blasts back: “Not for you, you’re a 6! You could be out there, warm showers, tea at 5, fittings. Hair appointments, the civilised world.”

He begs Quinn to smuggle him out. He can’t take it. But Quinn won’t. A 3 isn’t safe out there. If they pick him up, they’ll ship him to a work state. He’s safe as long as he stays put. Now, where’s Rembrandt? Wade points across the hovel yard.

REMBRANDT is with ELIZA MACKENSIE. Remy is holding her six-month-old baby, SAM, singing him a lullaby. It works. Sam is asleep. Rembrandt is taken with not only Sam, but Eliza as well. Handing the baby back, Eliza holds him close. Sam is her whole life.

Now, the POLICE and ZACHARY MACKENSIE, Eliza’s ex-husband, storm through Hovel Town. Zach approaches Eliza, makes a few disparaging comments on what she’s become. He had no idea she could sink so low. He’s not going to let it happen to his son. The police take the baby from Eliza. Then hold her back as Zach drives off with Sam. Everybody watches. Wade is irate. They can’t do that. But Quinn is sadly understanding. In this world, they can.

Act One

We come back to find the Sliders comforting Rembrandt and Eliza. We establish we are in a world where Beauty rules. Where Good looks and charm will bring you success and lack of looks, dooms you to a second-class citizenship.

Each person is judged by the DMV (Department of Measurement and Validation) and given a BQ number (Beauty Quotient). Your life and livelihood depend on your BQ. Ten being the highest. Subfives must live in hovel neighborhoods. Fours and Fives are allowed to work in the city—as maids, garbage men, servants, etc. Three or below, if they’re caught in the city, are automatically shipped out to work states.

We also learn that Eliza, who’s BQ is 6, was once married to a 9, thus, her BQ average was actually 7. 5. However, when Zach left her, she lost everything, including her BQ. Reevaluated, she became a 5, and was sent to the hovel.

Eliza is despondent over Sam. Rembrandt insists they must do something to help. Quinn suggest they try the police. No one actually believes that will help, except Quinn. This is a civilized society. He’s sure somebody will help.

On the streets, the elegant couples are openly rude to Eliza. They make faces, curling their noses, making snide comments just loud enough so she and Quinn can hear. She comments to Quinn, those people used to be her friends.

At the police station, more rudeness towards Eliza. The officers are not interested in helping. It’s only due to Quinn and the fact that his BQ is a 9 that they help at all. We learn her only chance to get her baby back is to win a “Court contest.”

Back in Hovel Town, Rembrandt is worrying. It’s getting late. If she’s not back by dark, he fears the worst. Wade comforts him and we get a moment where Rembrandt confides to Wade, he’s really fallen for Eliza. “Who would have thought that in all this ugliness, he would have found something as beautiful as Eliza.”

Now, Arturo notices a man in the shadows, he watches them. Actually, takes pictures. Arturo turns to Wade, “It appears your admirer has returned.” Wade looks up, hoping to catch sight of the man, but he takes off. Rembrandt asks, who is that? Wade doesn’t know, but is going to find out. She follows the man.

Quinn and Eliza return. They explain they filed a request for a Court Contest. It will be held in two days. Eliza and Rembrandt go off together, leaving Arturo and Quinn. Does she have a chance in this contest? Quinn shrugs. Doesn’t look good.

We catch up with Wade as she’s stalking the man. He’s moving through Hovel Town, unaware Wade is shadowing him. He stops here and there, taking photographs—stealing moments from other people’s lives. This intrigues Wade.

She follows him back to a burnt-out building. His home. Inside, she surprises him. Now, we get our first good look at him. He’s about Wade’s age, a little nervous, wiry. He wears a beret, has goatee. He’s the beatnik, poet/photographer/artist of Hovel Town. His name is MILO. And he seems shy around Wade.

Wade looks around. Photos of sub-five women fill the room. All black and white. All amazingly beautiful in their own way. Milo explains what he finds fascinating about each picture. There’s life and beauty here, all around. People just don’t see it, but he does. He is the voice of beauty’s multitude.

Wade is surprised when she finds photographs of herself. He asks what she’s doing in sub-five. She obviously doesn’t belong there. Wade tells him it’s a long story. He produces a photo of the Sliders falling from the Vortex. Is this part of the story? Wade nods, and we know she’s about to tell him everything.

A moment with Rembrandt and Eliza under the night sky, warmed by a nearby fire. It’s actually romantic in it’s own desperate way. We learn her back story, how Zach left her for an 8—his secretary. How he didn’t know she was pregnant or that she had given birth until recently. We see her pain for her falling from grace. She cries, having no faith she can win the Court Contest. Not in her current condition. Rembrandt comforts her, then gets an idea. He knows how they can win, at least get a fair shake.

The next day, we find Quinn at his work, at Brooks Brothers. He is an outstanding representative of youth and beauty. We get snippets here of the beauty establishments feelings about the sub-fives. Their elitism, their mis-beliefs about the poor and down-trodden. Quinn plays along, but never panders to these thoughts. At some point, he crosses to the Women’s’ section and, with the help of a female colleague, L’OREAL, chooses several elegant suits. We’re not sure why.

Back at Quinn’s apt (which is an amazing deluxe pent-house), he enters to find Arturo, Wade, Rembrandt, Eliza and Milo. Arturo is showered, wearing a bathrobe, smoking a cigar and drinking port. His life is restored. Quinn is worried they are all there. If they’re caught, they’ll all be shipped out. Arturo tells him, not to worry. Milo showed them a way out, no one saw them cross town. Danger at bay, they begin their task. We see snippets of Eliza getting cleaned up. Wade cuts her hair, paints her finger nails, helps with her makeup. She puts on the clothes Quinn brought for her and finally, we see her turned around. She cleans up well. They all applaud. Arturo: By Jove, I think she’s got it!! Milo snaps a picture and we—

Act Two

We return to find Quinn, Eliza and Rembrandt (who’s a five and allowed out) at the OMV. Eliza is being reevaluated. She claims to have lost her license, needing a new one. The clerk is very State Employee, but eventually gets around to helping. Eliza is sent to a back room where a committee of three (headed by Mr. Blackwell) look her over. A moment later, she returns to Quinn and Arturo. She smiles, holds up her new license: There’s a big 3-D hologram across the license. She’s a 7!!!

Milo, Wade and Arturo are sneaking back to the sub-five division when a Policeman comes around the corner. He stops them, asking them for their BQ I.D. He eyes them suspiciously. Wade hands over her card. She’s a six. No problem. Milo hands over his card. He’s a seven. This surprises Wade. She gives Milo a look. He seems embarrassed that he’s actually not a sub-five.

Now, the officer turns to Arturo. He’s now cleaned-up, dressed well, and feeling cocky. He tries to talk his way out of this. But the officer, looks closely. This man is ugly. Where’s your I.D.? He asks threateningly. Arturo panics and starts to run. Wade and Milo block the policeman and then follow Arturo. The policeman starts to WHISTLE for help. Then follows.

Arturo, Wade and Milo make it back to Hovel town via Milo’s secret way. In the process, Arturo has fallen, ripped his jacket, has dirt on his hands, his face. In short, is again in disarray. He heaves a heavy sigh and prays for the next slide.

Quinn, Rembrandt and Eliza are in front of Brooks Brothers, making final plans for the next day’s Court Contest. Quinn’s boss steps out, eyeing Eliza.

As Remy and Eliza leave and Quinn heads back into the store, his boss, CALVIN, approaches him. Calvin has recognized Eliza Mackensie. He also knows she’s been sub-five. Quinn concedes that’s true, but she was just reevaluated at 7. Calvin just shakes his head. A leopard can’t change it’s spots. Once a five, always a five. Quinn leaps to her defense. Calvin questions Quinn’s loyalty to his people. His people? People like them. Quinn makes it clear he thinks the whole BQ thing is stupid anyway. Calvin is sorry to hear that, coming from a 9. He fires Quinn for consorting with sub-fives and asks for the key to the apt. Apparently, his cool digs were company owned. A moment later, we see Quinn exit Brooks Brothers, wearing his usual clothes, as unfancy as they are. He pulls his jacket tight and heads down the street.

Wade and Milo wander through another part of Hovel Town. Milo taking pictures as Wade walks. She doesn’t understand why he lives there if he’s a seven? Why isn’t he in the city. Milo explains he hates the city. There’s no imagination, no fire, no lives. The people there are living cookie cutter lives. Dressing alike, thinking alike. It’s just not his thing. We learn he came from a family of 9’s and l0’s. He’s the black sheep. And he doesn’t miss that life for the world. Wade takes his camera and takes a picture of him… Then they kiss.

Quinn joins Arturo, Rembrandt and Eliza around a barrel with a fire. They’re amazed it’s-the old Q-ball back. He explains why he got fired. Eliza is sorry to be so much trouble, but Quinn doesn’t care. They’re due to slide the next day anyway. Slide, she doesn’t understand. Rembrandt hasn’t told her.

Rembrandt and Eliza alone, right after he explains the sliding concept. She’s amazed, but it figures… He just wasn’t like people from her San Francisco. He tells her how much he loves her, etc. How he wants to win Sam back, then they can slide out of there together… They hug, dreaming of the next world, where people are judged on merit, not beauty.

At court the next morning, a crowd has gathered to see the Contest. The room at first, looks like a normal court room. Defendant on one side, plaintiff on the other. Where the judges bench should be, however, is a curtain. The crowd is hushed and then the curtain opens, revealing an empty stage.

MUSIC STARTS and a voice announces the presiding judge, BOB BARKER. A man resembling Bob Barker comes out to applause. He stands on the stage, and announces “Today’s contest for the custody of Samuel Mackensie.” It seems the Court Contest is run somewhat like a Beauty pageant. There are three events: Talent, Evening wear and Etiquette.

For the first event, Zach Mackensie plays the bagpipes and does a jig. Eliza plays the piano. A panel of judges holds up numbers. Eliza wins this category. For the second event, Zach crosses the stage, dressed in formal wear. As he walks, he recites his vitals. Height, Weight, Parental Lineage (BQ Lineage). His current job, etc. Eliza is dressed in a gorgeous, floor-length gown from the house of Chanel, Paris. She too recites her vitals. The judges hold up numbers: Zach wins. For the third event, etiquette. They tie.

Judge Bob Barker then decides the tie breaker will be a third-party—he will allow them each to have their legal representative speak on their behalf. Zach has a high powered BQ 10 on his team. Eliza, not having prepared for a tie, has no legal representative. However, after a short discussion, Arturo is elected to speak on her behalf.

Zach’s lawyer gives a powerful speech about the things Zach can do for the baby, bringing him up with all the advantages a 9 can bring. He ends by pointing out: She’s already fallen sub-five once. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?

Arturo gets up, in all his erudite pomposity and gives a rather eloquent and moving speech on the true meaning of beauty. We’ll throw in a few Latin phrases, a few lines from Greek poetry, perhaps a Shakespearean sonnet line. In short, we’ll use the Arts to our advantage. It will point clearly to this society’s folly of quantifying an unquantifiable element. Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder, not on your BQ license. And what more beautiful thing is there than a mother’s love?

In the end, Judge Bob Barker is touched and old enough to be worried about losing his own BQ. He sides with Eliza, awarding her permanent BQ status of 7, custody of Sam and alimony from Zach. It’s a big win and just in time, because the Sliders must go.

In front of the vortex, Arturo jumps with glee, happy as hell to say goodbye to this world. Quinn follows. Milo and Wade say their goodbyes. Sweetly, with a kiss. He says something poetic and hands her a picture. The one she took of him.

Rembrandt is explaining how to jump to Eliza so that the landing is easy on the other side. He’ll hold Sam and make certain he’s safe. He starts toward the tunnel, but Eliza doesn’t. She doesn’t want to go. Now that’s she part of the beauty world again, she wants to stay. Rembrandt is crushed. He tries to convince her otherwise, but she won’t hear it. This is where she belongs and it’s thanks to him, she got it back. Now she and Sam will have a good life. Broken-hearted, Rembrandt jumps into the void.