Common Side Effects: TV Pilot
Breaking it down organically
ACT 1: WHO'S THE BAD GUY?
INT - CONVENTION CENTER, BALLROOM - DAY
Rick Kruger, Reutical Pharma's CEO, delivers a cringy speech about the side effects of their drug — diarrhea, a preferable side effect compared to depression and/or constipation. Rick opens the floor for questions.
Frances, Rick’s assistant, cringes at the mention of "diarrhea."
Marshall Cuso carries a clay pot with a plant (Banisteriopsis), approaches the microphone, and questions the CEO about his actions regarding Reutical's destruction of fungal colonies in the Peruvian mountains — this angers the CEO, and he orders security to kick Marshall out.
Frances recognizes Marshall.
Marshall declares that if he disappears, blame Reutical Pharma since they attempted to harm him in the past.
EXT - CONVENTION CENTER, EXIT - MOMENTS LATER
The security guards shove Marshall out. He falls to the ground, and his clay pot breaks.
Frances removes her Reutical pin and approaches Marshall.
Frances greets Marshall. She recounts the news about Marshall dying in a plane crash. Marshall refutes this and asks why Frances is around. What a coincidence! Or is it? She lies to Marshall and mentions her career in urban planning instead of big pharma.
EXT - PARK - MOMENTS LATER
Marshall and Frances sit on a park bench. They casually reminisce about high school, and then Frances mentions her mom suffering from dementia.
INT - MEMORY CARE FACILITY - FLASHBACK
Frances sits next to her mom, Sonia, waiting in the lobby of a memory care facility. (VO - Marshall remembers Frances' mom)
BACK TO THE PARK
Frances gets gloomy about her mom's dementia — this triggers Marshall to open up. Marshall spills his secret — a medicine that could heal anything. To prove the magic medicine's efficacy, Marshall twists a pigeon's neck, killing it, and sprinkles blue powder on the pigeon's face.
MONTAGE: Pigeon's POV: bird's eye view of trees, brain stems, pigeons on the street, moon and outerspace, the moon, a bird's egg inside a nest, pigeons, brain stems, Earth, egg cracks open
The pigeon is alive and flies away. Frances is shocked, and Marshall looks at her with glee.
EXT - STREET - CONTINUOUS
In a parked van — "Shawna's Flowers" — a man stalks Marshall and takes several pictures of him and Frances.
INT - POLICE CONFERENCE ROOM - LATER
The lead detective shows the surveillance photos to his team. An officer questions Marshall's bad guyness. The lead claims that Marshall is a dangerous man — the mastermind of an illegal drug operation. The female detective adds that the drug is addictive and fatal. The bald man asks if the DEA Agents, Copano and Harrington, are fit for the job.
EXT - STREET - LATER
Inside the squad car: Copano, the male agent, plays “Jump in the line” inside the car and turns up the volume.
Street: Harrington, the female agent, buys a hotdog from a vendor. She hears the music from her earpiece and starts vibing.
INT - DEA AGENT'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER
Harrington enters. They vibe to "Jump in the line."
BACK TO THE CONFERENCE ROOM
The lead detective and female detective nod that Copano and Harrington are fit for the job.
ACT 2: BLUE MAGIC
EXT - PERUVIAN JUNGLE - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Marshall treks a pond in the Peruvian jungle.
He gently removes a snake from a branch. Pink mushrooms are growing on the branches.
He stares at the pink mushrooms and takes notes.
He climbs down a circular cave and inspects a pink mushroom.
He traverses a mountain path.
He walks up a mountain.
He consults his topographic map, flips the page, and stares at various mushrooms.
Marshall relaxes on a hammock underneath a canopy. It's raining in the jungle. He stares at an image of the blue mushrooms.
PERUVIAN MOUNTAIN - After the rain, Marshall burns the image. He helps an upside-down beetle. He inspects the valley. He sees a group of tortoises and then spots blue mushrooms on the ground. He picks one up and inspects it.
INT - COFFEE SHOP - LATER
Marshall and Frances sit across from each other. Marshall explains the origin of the blue magic powder. He claims the blue mushroom is the caviar and ghost orchid of mushrooms, with a one-in-a-billion chance of growing. Fortunately for Marshall, he discovered the blue mushrooms from the valley between isolated mountains in Peru.
EXT - PERUVIAN MOUNTAINS (FLASHBACK)
(VO) Marshall explains the origin of the blue mushrooms and the perfect combination -- constant fog, humidity, and limestone in the soil.
Molecular composition of the blue mushroom.
Marshall inspects the molecules using a microscope.
Marshall gets up when he hears a helicopter.
The helicopter hovers near Marshall, and a man with heavy artillery starts shooting Marshall.
Marshall grabs his backpack and runs into the forest.
A single-engine airplane awaits Marshall but starts departing; Marshall runs after the plane to board. Marshall makes it in time.
The helicopter tails the plane, starts shooting at it, and kills the pilot. The plane is about to crash into the forest. Knowing he’s about to die, Marshall swallows a blue mushroom.
MONTAGE: The blue magic takes effect — colorful molecules, a fetus, a baby mobile, beach volleyball, blowing bubbles, Marshall staring at a baby-shaped form tumbling up and down. It stares at Marshall and then transforms its face into a blue plant.
Marshall is bloodied but comes back to life. He’s alive?! The plane is broken into pieces.
(VO) Marshall mentions his pet tortoise. The tortoise comes out of his backpack.
BACK TO THE COFFEE SHOP
Marshall tells Frances that he's almost out of the blue mushrooms and that the Peruvian valley's being destroyed by Reutical Pharma's toxic waste dump.
EXT - REUTICAL PHARMA PLANT
(VO) Marshall narrates and explains that Reutical Pharma is destroying the Peruvian mountains by dumping toxic chemicals in their water and soil.
BACK TO THE COFFEE SHOP
Frances' phone rings. Marshall complains about the evil CEO, Rick Kruger. Rick is calling Frances, but she declines the call. Marshall makes a point about the plan to rig the healthcare system.
(VO) Marshall highlights the pitfalls of capitalistic greed.
An unhoused man panhandling in the street.
A typical C-suite bro in a suit talks shop on his cell.
A sickly woman is inside a coffee shop.
Marshall convinces Frances that the power structure would defend their product over a viable, organic solution. Frances' phone rings again, and she takes the call.
EXT - STREET / INT - COFFEE SHOP
Frances talks to Rick.
Marshall gets paranoid when she sees a woman across the street looking outside her window. He looks at a patron inside the shop looking at him. Other patrons are whispering at each other, and one looks at him. A couple takes a selfie but focuses on Marshall.
Frances looks shocked that Marshall's gone.
ACT 3: EVIDENTLY
EXT - DEA BUILDING - LATER
Setup shot.
INT - DEA ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Capono stares at a US map on a corkboard.
Harrington asks Capono about a trivial matter. Still staring at the map, Capono offers conspiratorial theories about the locations of violent incidents in America. He assumes where their next assignment will be.
The lead detective pops in and tells Capono and Harrington to go with him.
EXT - YARD - DAY
A woman is tending her garden. Several takes: It's a TV ad about "Enablin," a pharma drug.
INT - REUTICAL, PRODUCTION ROOM - DAY
Two production guys ask Rick about the TV ad. Rick is frustrated and stares at his phone. Frances enters and tells the production guys what version to use. The production guys request approval for the legal disclaimer of "common side effects."
INT - REUTICAL, HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Rick and Frances walk and talk. Rick is playing his mobile game, and Frances is reminding him about business matters. Rick mentions Jonas Backstein, Board of Director, and bangs his head repeatedly on the elevator door. Rick complains about his marital issues.
INT - ELEVATOR - MOMENTS LATER
Rick whines about their company’s troubles. Frances offers a solution and mentions a new product. Rick indulges Frances' hypothetical new product by promising a great reward. Rick steps out. The elevator door closes.
EXT - STREET - MOMENTS LATER
Frances calls Marshall and leaves a message.
EXT - MARSHALL'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
(VO - Frances' overlapping voicemail message) Marshall drives his pick-up truck, stops and parks in front, looks around nervously, and enters his house.
INT - MARSHALL'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Marshall peeks outside through his window blinds.
Marshall places his plant on the coffee table and greets his tortoise, Mr. Socrates. Marshall plays Frances Applewhite's message to his pet. Marshall's alarm system triggers an intruder. He checks the camera feed on the screens.
EXT - MARSHALL'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
INSIDE THE CAR: Capono and Harrington are staking out Marshall. They are vibing to music, a recurring theme of this partnership. Capono is amazed that Marshall owns 2,000+ acreage of property. Capono thinks Marshall deals drugs, but Harrington corrects him and shares what she learned from her research on Marshall.
INT - CONVENIENT STORE (FLASHBACK)
(VO - Harrington shares a research backstory of Marshall's source of funds) Marshall discovered a hack to the New Hampshire lottery and won $11 million.
BACK TO THE SQUAD CAR
Harrington mentions that Marshall was investigated but not prosecuted. Harrington questions Capono's knowledge of Marshall. So, Capono regurgitates a Marshall backstory.
INT - CONFERENCE ROOM
(VO - Capono tells a backstory) Marshall is on stage, lecturing. He mentioned that Marshall won a Havlstrom prize.
BACK TO THE SQUAD CAR
Harrington corrects Capono, "Marshall is a runner-up, not a winner." Harrington questions the validity of the assumption that Marshall is a drug dealer.
EXT - MARSHALL'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Multiple squad cars flood the premises.
They barge in.
INT - MARSHALL'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Capono and Harrington and DEA agents enter the house. They are disappointed that Marshall left before they could apprehend him. Capono stares at the empty vivarium.
INT - TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
Marshall crawls through a secret passage.
EXT - WOODS - MOMENTS LATER
Marshall removes the car cover and enters the vehicle.
Marshall drives away.
INT - FRANCES' APARTMENT - NIGHT
Frances stares at her laptop. She edits her LinkedIn profile. It's raining outside. She confers with Nick, her boyfriend, who is wearing a VR goggle, about deleting traces of her social media presence. The boyfriend wants to experiment with an intimacy practice with Frances, but she's preoccupied with her dilemma. Frances' phone rings.
She answers the phone and talks to Marshall.
EXT - FRANCES' NEIGHBORHOOD, ALLEY - CONTINOUS
Marshall hides behind a dumpster, carrying his tortoise. It's pouring outside. A cop car drives past the alley and spooks Marshall. He crouches and hides while talking with Frances. Marshall wants to meet up with Frances. He claims that he is being followed.