Just a family
Episode 1
"Pilot"
Written by
Yannick De Decker
CHARACTERS:
Gary Robertson, 51, head of the family. CEO at Robertson’s Inc.
Kitty Robertson: 49, wife of Gary, housewife.
Kevin Robertson, 26, oldest son, financial manager at Robertson’s Inc.
Nicola Robertson, 19, daughter, human studies
Levy Robertson, 17, youngest son, high school
Viv Anderson, 43, sister of Kitty
Cassandra Phillips, 25, wife of Kevin, nurse
Axel Mayer, 21, boyfriend of Nicola, works at Robertson’s Inc.
Nick Smith, 32, rival of Gary, works at Petersons & Sons.
RECURRING CHARACTERS:
Catherine Phillips, 28, sister of Cassandra
Holly Robertson, 7, daughter of Kevin and Cassandra
Lovely Britten, 29, secretary of Gary at Robertson’s Inc.
Jennifer Hayden, 19, girlfriend of Levy
Hilary and Robert Mayer, parents of Axel
Grace and Roger Phillips, parents of Cassandra and Catherine
Noah Holden, boyfriend of Catherine
FADE IN:
INT. KITCHEN, ROBERTSON’S FAMILY, MORNING
We see a lovely little kitchen, KITTY ROBERTSON is preparing breakfast for her husband and children. The table is set for 4 persons. Suddenly LEVY ROBERTSON walks in, half asleep.
Kitty:
Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?
Levy:
Mom, it’s 8 AM in the morning, please don’t bother me with your difficult questions.
Kitty looks at her son with an overprotecting face. She knows him, he’s always like this on a Monday morning.
Kitty:
Honey! Are you coming? You’re breakfast is getting cold!
Kitty waits for an answer but her husband isn’t responding. She looks at her son who is slowly starting to eat his cereals.
Kitty:
Was you’re father still in the shower?
Levy:
How should I know?
Kitty:
As always you’re such a great help.
HONEY!
INT. LIVINGROOM, ROBERTSON’S FAMILY, MORNING
We see two persons sitting in a large couch. NICOLA ROBERTSON and her boyfriend AXEL MAYER. They seem rather happy and Axel keeps saying things in her ear. She laughs and tickles him. Then, GARY ROBERTSON walks down the stairs and sees his daughter sitting there.
Gary:
What is HE doing so early in the morning in MY house?
Axel:
I’m sorry mister Robertson, but I wanted to see her before I get to work.
Nicola:
You don’t have to apologize to him, sweetie. Dad, I’m 19 years old, if I want my boyfriend over, I can. Stop patronizing me.
Gary:
Right, Axel I hope you won’t be late for work today?
Axel:
Shit, I’m so sorry mister Robertson, I forget the time. I’ll go immediately.
Axel stands up and searches for his shoes. He gives Nicola a goodbye kiss and leaves the house.
Nicola:
Thank you for ruining my perfect morning, again.
Gary:
Always here for you.
Gary and Nicola enter the kitchen. Gary gives his wife a kiss on the cheek and he takes an apple.
Gary:
Honey I don’t have time for breakfast, but I see you tonight. Love you
Before Kitty could answer, he already left the kitchen. Nicola sits down and starts eating very fast while Levy already ate all his cereal.
Kitty:
Nicola, can you eat a little faster, it’s almost time for school.
Nicola doesn’t say anything but looks up, seeing how her brother leaves the kitchen.
Nicola:
I was thing of staying home today. We weren’t going to see anything special today at class.
Kitty:
That’s not going to work honey. Pack your bags, now!
Nicola:
That’s just not fair, everybody is going to stay home today and I have to go to school because you’re too severe.
Kitty:
It had nothing to do with that, me and your father paid for your studies so we expect you to go to school, like you want.
Nicola stands up without looking at her mother and leaves the kitchen, leaving Kitty all alone. A few moments later we here a door close, very loudly.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. ROBERTSON INC, MORNING
Gary walks out of the elevator and he’s heading to his office. At a large desk, just outside his office, sits LOVELY BRITTEN, his secretary. She looks at him, she’s beautiful and he knows she is.
Lovely:
Good morning, Mister Robertson. How is everything today?
Gary:
Fine, fine. Is my son here already?
Lovely:
No, Mister Kevin hasn’t arrived yet.
Gary:
If you see him, send him in my office. Thank you Lovely.
Gary enters his office. Lovely takes a little note and writes something down. “Kevin to office mister Robertson”
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. KEVIN AND CASSANDRA’S HOUSE, BEDROOM, MORNING
We see a large and beautiful bedroom. On the bed, lies KEVIN ROBERTSON. We see his wife walk in, CASSANDRA ROBERTSON. She steps on the bed and she lies besides him.
Cassandra:
Sweetie, wake up sweetie.
Kevin:
How late is it?
Cassandra:
Almost 9 O’clock
Kevin:
You’re serious aren’t you?
Cassandra:
Yes, I am.
Kevin:
Shit Cas, I need to go to work, dad’s going to kill me.
Cassandra:
Shouldn’t we first have a little fun. I already dropped of Holly at school so I thought we could …
Kevin:
Not now, Cas. I’m already late.
Kevin stands up and leaves the room, leaving Cassandra behind who sits on the bed, thinking. Suddenly, the phone rings and Cassandra shrieks. She picks up her mobile.
Cassandra:
Hello? … Mom! Hi, how are you? What you want me to come, Ok, I’ll be right there.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. ROBERTSON’S INC, MORNING
Lovely is typing something on the computer. The elevator goes open and we see a handsome man standing in it. Lovely looks up. It’s NICK SMITH. He works at the rival company, PETERSONS AND SONS. He walks towards Lovely.
Nick:
Is the big boss here?
Lovely:
Yes but I’m not sure is you could disturb him. I’ll give him a call.
Nick:
Not necessary, I think he’s going to like the news I have for him.
Nick goes to Gary’s office and knocks. A few moments later he walks in and at the exact same time the elevator opens, revealing Kevin standing in it.
INT. ROBERTSON’S INC, GARY’S OFFICE, MORNING
Gary:
Nick Smith, I hope you have a damn good reason for disturbing me at this hour.
Nick:
For the matter of the fact, I do have a very good reason.
Gary:
Shoot.
Nick:
I have a great deal for you, you can’t denial.
Gary:
Go on.
Nick:
My company wants to create a fusion between the two of us. What do you think? You’re technology and my financial success. Together, we’re a perfect team.
Gary:
Not in a million years, Nick.
Nick:
Not so fast Gary, let me show you …
Gary:
The answer is no, Nick. Goodbye now.
Nick:
But Gary, first of all, listen to my plans, they might enjoy you.
Gary:
Leave or I’ll call security.
Nick:
Fine, I’ll give you some time to think about it, I will come back.
Gary:
Goodbye, Nick.
Nick leaves the office with a dirty smirk on his face. He looks at Lovely and Kevin standing there, curious. Without saying one word, he goes to the elevator and he leaves.
Kevin:
What the hell did Nick Smith wanted?
Lovely:
I don’t know. Ask your father.
Kevin:
He won’t tell me.
Lovely:
Now that we’re talking about it, he wanted to see you.
Kevin:
Oh god.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. OUTSIDE CASSANDRA’S PARENTS HOUSE, MORNING
We see Cassandra moving to the door of her parent’s house. She looks quiet nervous. When she rings the doorbell, her father, ROGER PHILLIPS, opens the door and looks at her with a big smile.
Roger:
Honey, you’re here. Good you could make it so quickly.
Cassandra:
What in earth is going on? Why did I have to come over so quickly?
Roger:
Just wait for your sister, me and your mother will explain everything than.
We go back outside and we see a car stopping before the house. A beautiful women gets out, it’s CATHERINE PHILLIPS, she looks stunning. When she walks to the door, we see NOAH HOLDEN, the neighbor, who is looking quiet interestingly at her.
Noah:
Family things?
Catherine:
Why do you thing that?
Noah:
I don’t often see you and your sister around here.
Catherine:
We have our separate lives, you know.
Noah:
I’m Noah, you must be Cassandra?
Catherine:
No, I’m the other half of the family, Catherine. You seem to know quite a bit about my family?
Noah:
I know your parents, they often tell me things.
Catherine:
Nothing embarrassing, I hope.
Noah:
It was nice chatting with you.
Catherine looks at him for a last time and smiles. She rings the doorbell and her father opens the door.
Roger:
You’re here, finally.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. ROBERTSON’S INC, MORNING
Kevin gets into the office of his father and he closes the door. He sits down and looks at him without saying a word.
Gary:
You’re late.
Kevin:
I know, Cassandra didn’t wake me up.
Gary:
For god sake Kevin, you’re a grown man, does your lovely wife has to wake you up?
Kevin:
Why did you want to talk to me?
Gary:
I was going to discuss with you a new method I read about in one of my magazines, but then Nick Smith visited me.
Kevin:
What did he want?
Gary:
For some reason, his company wants a fusion. Can you imagine?
Kevin:
Did you accept?
Gary:
What do you think? Of course not! The only reason they want a fusion is because they know we stand stronger. They need our acknowledge.
Kevin:
But we aren’t going to give it to them, right?
Gary:
I’m glad you understand. So if you ever talks to you about it, you know what to do, right?
Kevin:
Sure, can I go now? I have a lot of things to do.
Gary:
Good, one more thing, call Cassandra and tell her that you guys are invited for dinner tonight.
Kevin:
What’s the occasion?
Gary:
Just a small family dinner.
Kevin:
I’ll be there.
Gary:
You can go now.
Kevin stands up and goes to the door.
Gary:
And for god sake, buy yourself an alarm.
Kevin nods in agreement and leaves the office of his dad.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM, ROBERTSON’S FAMILY, AFTERNOON
Kitty is drinking coffee with her sister, VIV ANDERSON, she is a single woman who divorced her husband because he cheated on her. They are talking about a woman named Angela when suddenly her mobile goes off.
Kitty:
Hello. Gary? Why are you calling, is there something wrong?
Oh, I see, yes I understand. Yes I try something out. Ok. Bye.
Viv:
What did he want?
Kitty:
It looks like Kevin and his family is eating dinner with us tonight. So Gary expects from me to cook something extraordinary.
Viv:
You still got time. I can always give you a hand.
Kitty:
That would be lovely, sis.
Viv:
And then I can also stay for dinner ,right?
Kitty looks at her sister with big eyes and leaves for the kitchen. Viv smiles and follows her.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. CASSANDRA’S PARENTS HOUSE, AFTERNOON
Cassandra and Catherine are drinking coffee with their parents. GRACE PHILLIPS, the mother, seems to be a little distracted. Cassandra looks around and sees moving boxes.
Cassandra:
You finally decided to move out? That’s great news. I always said this house is too big for you guys.
Roger:
Actually honey, we’re not just moving out.
Grace:
What you’re father is trying to say, we’re emigrating.
Cassandra throws her cup on the floor, leaving a stain of coffee on the white floor.
Grace:
Oh dear, let me clean that up.
Grace walks to the kitchen and brings back a mop to clean up the mess. In the meantime, Cassandra keeps looking at her dad without saying one word.
Cassandra:
Is this what you really want, mom?
Roger:
Your mother and I want it, yeah.
Grace:
Honey, I know what you’re thinking, but this is what I really want.
Catherine:
May I ask, why?
Roger:
We are not getting any younger.
Grace:
We want to spend all our time we have left in Spain.
Cassandra:
Spain?! Could it get any further?
Roger:
You guys can come over during holidays.
Grace:
Cassy, you can come with Kevin and Holly. Holly would love it there. The sun always shines.
Cassandra:
Of course Holly would love I there, but I’m not letting you guys go like that. I need you.
Catherine:
Sis, you’re no longer 10 years old.
Roger:
You don’t have to worry, you’ll see us enough. Like I said, you can come over and …
Cassandra:
I don’t care about coming over dad! I want my parents close to me.
Catherine:
You’re overreacting. I’m happy for you guys.
Cassandra:
Typical. You’re just happy that they’re going.
Catherine:
No, but they have their own lives. We can’t say what they should do, or shouldn’t.
Grace:
May I say something to? It’s about OUR life, not YOURS.
Roger:
We are going to be happy there, it’s as simple as that.
Cassandra:
I’m sorry but I have to go, I need to thing about this.
Cassandra stands up and takes her coat. She goes towards the hallway and looks for a moment to her parents.
Cassandra:
May I ask one more thing? Please think about this one more time. Think about what you’re going to leave behind.
Roger:
We thought about it a lot. We have made our decision.
Grace:
Please honey, don’t be mad. You should be happy for us.
Cassandra:
I don’t think I can.
Cassandra opens the door en leaves the house. Roger and Grace are looking to each other, sadly. Catherine is also standing up.
Catherine:
I don’t care what she says, but I’m happy for you.
Roger:
Thank you, honey.
Catherine:
I’m going to the bathroom and then I’ll leave too, I have work to do.
Catherine goes to the hallway but stands there for a few seconds, thinking. Then she hears that her parents are discussing about something.
Grace:
Maybe we should tell the truth. I don’t like lying to my girls.
Roger:
It’s for the best. They would be devastated.
Grace:
Still, I think I would want to know if I were in their position.
Catherine stands there for a few more seconds. It’s clear for her that her parents aren’t telling everything.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT, ROBERTSON’S INC, EVENING
Lovely is walking to her care, she was one of the last persons in the building. When she’s walking, she sees a shadow standing there. Scarred, she starts running but then she recognizes the person, it’s Nick Smith.
Nick:
Did I scare you?
Lovely:
A little bit. Why are you here?
Nick:
I wanted to see you. To ask you something.
Lovely:
Yes?
Nick:
You may not know, but I and your boss aren’t the best friends. Still my company needs him and his company. Do you understand?
Lovely:
What do you want from me?
Nick:
Maybe you could convince him that a fusion between Robertson’s Inc and Petersons and Sons, isn’t such a bad thing.
Lovely:
How could I ever do that? I’m just a secretary. Besides I love my work, I’m not going to betray my boss.
Nick:
Let me put it this way, if you don’t do what I say, you won’t live to see the morning light.
Lovely gets scarred, certainly when she sees that he means what he just said.
Lovely:
How can I convince him?
Nick:
Use your imagination. I don’t care how you do it, the result is what matters.
Nick gives a dirty smile and then he leaves, leaving Lovely behind, all alone and confused.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. LIVINGROOM, ROBERTSON’S FAMILY, EVENING
Nicola and Axel are sitting on the couch. Hugging and laughing. Levy sits behind the computer. Suddenly, Gary enters the house, looking not pleased with Axel’s appearance.
Gary:
Is he staying for dinner?
Nicola:
Yes, HE is.
Gary:
Well, alright then, where is your mother.
Levy:
She’s in the kitchen, Kevin and Cassandra are already here.
Gary looks at his son, looks at his daughter and goes to the door to the kitchen. He enters and sees his wife putting the table together with her sister. Kevin, Cassandra and Holly are sitting around the table.
Holly:
Grandpa! You’re home.
Gary:
Hello sweetie, how was your day?
Holly:
It was great!
Gary:
Hello Cassy, Kevin.
Kevin:
Dad.
Kitty:
Thank you for telling me so early that we had guests for dinner.
Gary:
I’m sorry, but I forgot, ok?
Kitty:
You should see a doctor if you’re forgetting things.
Viv:
Don’t mind Kitty, that’s just the age. He is starting to get old.
Gary:
What is SHE doing here?
At the exact same moment, Nicola, Levy and Axel enter the kitchen.