'PARTNERS' script - first draft

PARTNERS
by
Neil Thomson

     EXT. PARK, DAY

     DAVE and MICHAEL, a pair of young police detectives, sit on a
     park bench with the top buttons open on their shirts,
     relaxing and basking in the sun. A gentle breeze blows and
     the sound of birds can be heard in the distance.

     Michael uses a pocket knife to open a pair of beer bottles.
     He hands one to Dave.

                          DAVE & MICHAEL
               Cheers!

     They clink their bottles together and both take a swig from
     their drinks.

                          MICHAEL (CONT’D)
               It's nice here, isn't it? I used to
               come here all the time when I was a
               kid.

                          DAVE
               Me too.

                          MICHAEL
               I had a look online at some
               holidays - I thought maybe we could
               go to Greece together? Now that
               we've closed the case.

                          DAVE
               I don't know about that.

                          MICHAEL
               Oh come on. Don't you think that we
               could give it a go again?

     Michael moves closer and puts his hand on Dave's.

                          MICHAEL (CONT’D)
               You know... you and me?

     Dave moves his hand away

                          DAVE
               I'm sorry, but I can't. Something
               just feels wrong about it.

                          MICHAEL
               There's nothing to be embarrassed
               about.

                          DAVE
               I know... but I just can't see it
               working while we're working
               together in the force.

                          MICHAEL
               Well... maybe you could quit?

     Dave laughs.

                          MICHAEL (CONT’D)
               No, I'm serious. I mean we don't
               both need to be working if we're
               together.

                          DAVE
               You know that I could never give up
               my job.

                          MICHAEL
               Not even for me?

     Before he has time to respond, Dave's phone rings. He puts
     down his beer and takes the phone out of his pocket.

                          DAVE
               It's Anna.

     He picks up the phone.

                          DAVE (INTO PHONE) (CONT’D)
               Hello?

                                                 INTERCUT WITH:

     INT. POLICE STATION, DAY

     Anna, a young police officer, sits at a computer whilst
     talking to Dave on the phone.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
               Dave, where are you?

                          DAVE (INTO PHONE)
               I'm just at the park with Michael.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
               Dave, you have to listen to me,
               now.

                          DAVE (INTO PHONE)
               Anna, this really isn't a good ti-

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
                    (Interrupting him)
               Peter wasn't the killer.

     Dave looks confused.

                          MICHAEL
               What's she saying?

      Dave shushes him.

                          DAVE (INTO PHONE)
               What? Yes he was, we found the
               gloves in his house.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
               They were planted there. I looked
               at footage on a CCTV camera from
               outside his house...

     We see CCTV footage on Anna's PC monitor.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE) (CONT’D)
               ...and at 3:25am on the 10th
               September, a car pulled up at his
               house and a person got out and
               broke into his house.

                          DAVE (INTO PHONE)
               Could you see the person's face?

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
               No, but I tracked the licence plate
               of the car.

                          DAVE
               Well whose is it?

     The PC screen switches to a tab which shows a car
     registration number alongside a young male. Anna pauses for a
     moment.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE)
               It's Michael's car.

     Beat.

     Dave sits there, stunned, not speaking. His heart pounds.

                          ANNA (INTO PHONE) (CONT’D)
               Dave, are you there?... Dave, can
               you hear me?...

    
     END INTERCUT.

     Dave puts down the phone. He pauses, then turns to Michael.

                          DAVE
               Michael, you're gonna have to come
               with me.

                          MICHAEL
               Why? What is it?

                          DAVE
               Don't say anything. Just walk over
               to the car and get in.

                          MICHAEL
               Dave, what's going on?

                          DAVE
               Please. Just come to the car, and
               this will all be over sooner.

                          MICHAEL
               What?

     Dave doesn't respond. He stares at Michael. Suddenly, Michael
     leaps up from his seat and launches into a sprint, but is
     quickly pursued by Dave...

     Michael is faster than Dave and runs out of the park, into an
     alleyway...

     EXT. URBAN STREET, DAY

     Michael runs through the alley and turns left at the end...

     Dave runs into the alley...

     He reaches the end and looks both ways...

     He spots Michael to the left in the distance and pursues
     him...

     Michael looks back as he runs and spots Dave, so speeds up...

     He turns another corner and runs away, but reaches a dead
     end...

     Finding himself cornered, he hides behind a bush, waiting for
     Dave.

     Dave catches up, but can't see Michael...

     Michael springs out from behind the bush, brandishing his
     pocket knife, threatening Dave...

                          MICHAEL
               Stay back!

     Dave puts his hands up.

                          DAVE
               Put the knife down Michael.

                          MICHAEL
               I can't go to prison Dave, so you
               either let me go now, or I'll kill
               you first.

                          DAVE
               Why did you do it Michael? Why did
               you have to kill him?

     BEGIN FLASHBACK:

     INT. HOUSE, NIGHT

     We see flashes of Michael strangling a young man, but the
     sound is muffled and inaudible.

     END FLASHBACK.

                          MICHAEL
               He was a drug dealer. It was his
               drugs that killed my sister. All I
               did was take one scumbag away from
               the world.

                          DAVE
               He was just a boy. He didn't
               deserve to die, Michael.

                          MICHAEL
               Look, we can put this behind us. We
               can run away and be happy together.
               We can forget about this.

                          DAVE
               No, I can't. I can't put anything
               before being a detective. Not even
               you.

                          MICHAEL
               Then I'll kill you.

                          DAVE
               No you won't Michael.

                          MICHAEL
               I've done it before and I can do it
               again.

                          DAVE
               Not to me you can't.

     Tears form in Michael's eyes. He drops the knife to the
     floor.

This is the first draft of the script for my TV show clip. Some of the dialogue may be tweaked (including on set), but apart from that I am fairly happy with the script. It's very cheesy and melodramatic, but that seems to be the way with some ITV shows, so hopefully it should fit the brief in that respect.