(Claire) This better be good, Allan.
(Allan) Just get inside.
Close the door.
I'm missing out on the biggest photo op of the night.
You'd better not be wasting my time.
Just listen to what he has to say.
I'll tell you what he's gonna say, Dex.
Dr. Carroll is still missing and
no one's doing anything about it.
Dr. Carroll's the real victim here.
Justice for Dr. Carroll. Sound about right?
Can you just let me talk?
You quit, Allan. Remember?
You lost your voice when you walked out that door.
Well you wouldn't have shown up here
if you didn't want to hear what I have to say.
Make it quick.
Okay. The Board of Trustees chairman is Brock's dad.
I heard him say so right after he got the award.
(Claire) So?
So don't you think that--
Half the kids here are legacies, Allan.
How do you think idiots like Brock Larson
get accepted in the first place?
That's exactly my point.
Brock is an idiot.
And he just won the Pierce Prize?
You all know what you need to qualify-
leadership, ambition and.
He has all of those, Allan.
Whether you like it or not, he knows how to work a room.
And scholasticism.
I guarantee Brock can't even spell that word.
And yet somehow, some way, he's getting better grades than Tim?
Don't make this about me.
(Allan) No, I'm just making a point.
Something is seriously wrong here.
Listen. I was looking at his permanent record.
(Tim) You did what?
It was months ago. Before Christmas break.
I went into the archives.
No, I don't care when it was, Archer.
What the hell were you thinking?
I needed to verify his grades.
Says who?
You're a reporter for the school newspaper, Allan, not Sam Spade.
Tim, he had straight A's in Brown's gradebook
and a folder full of D's in the record room.
You can't tell me that's normal.
You looked at a teacher's gradebook, too, Archer?
Jesus, I could get suspended for just knowing that.
Tim, stop being melodramatic and help me figure out
what's actually happening here.
People deserve to know the truth.
Newsflash!
Allan, nothing is happening!
This is exactly what you did with Carroll back in November.
You're creating a story where there isn't one
and you're pissing everybody off.
You keep this up,
you're gonna lose whatever friends you have left.
(Dex) Whoa Tim.
Archer, let me be very clear.
The Pierce Gazette is not involved in this.
Shut it down.
Now.
(Kate) So now what?
Yeah. Now what?
You heard Tim. Let's get back to the dance.
(Allan) Seriously, Claire?
Allan, I'm trying to get into Yale, okay?
Detention, suspension, whatever, it's not part of the game plan.
There's a real story here.
You know it as well as I do.
If you think I'm going to jeopardize my future
based on a hunch you had at a school dance,
you're clearly out of your mind.
What about the list?
What list?
This list.
The list!
What is this? Dr. Seuss?
What the hell kind of list are we talking about?
Last semester.
Kate, Lewis, and I went back to the auditorium a few hours after
Carroll got hit and scoped it out.
We found the absentee list for morning meeting.
Guess who's name was on it.
Larson.
Brock Larson.
That's not all we found.
We got this, ah, clicker thing.
Some modified cell phone.
I've been thinking about it for months.
It's gotta be how they fired the gun.
Where's that now?
Gone.
Someone came in, Kate dropped it, and it disappeared.
My bad.
Look. It's gotta be what they came in to find, right?
I'm sorry.
Am I missing something here?
What does this have to do with the Pierce Prize?
I don't know. But it's got to be related.
Allan, we can't keep circling back to this Carroll thing.
It's a dead end.
Claire, you said it yourself.
He was the most hated man on campus
and probably the one person here who wasn't completely infatuated
with Brock Larson.
Something tells me that probably wasn't sitting right with him.
Allan, your name is on this list, too.
Right under Brock's.
Yeah, I know.
Brown probably forgot to remove it.
I was late that morning, too.
Remember? Or were you too busy tweeting?
And what about Roger Thorwald?
Does he hate Carroll, too?
Any big theories about him?
Thorwald was in the infirmary that morning, remember?
He puked all over the refrectory at breakfast.
Eggs.
Over easy.
Yeah.
So?
So it still doesn't explain the Pierce Prize thing.
Claire, there were no grades from Carroll
in his permanent record.
None.
He taught the English capstone course to every senior here.
Why would those grades just disappear when Carroll did?
There are figureheads crawling
all over this place tonight, Allan.
We're just gonna have to be careful then.
Tim's gonna be suspicious if we're not back.
(Allan) Claire, all these
empty interviews, all these
paper thin stories and gossip columns.
Aren't you bored?
You'd better be right.
(theme music)
*
So we're all set.
(helium voice) Hell yeah, man.
And you're sure it's gonna work?
(normal voice) I'd give it a 50/50 shot.
Johnny.
Relax, amigo.
This isn't my first rodeo.
One more thing.
Hold on a second.
Any new information on that transfer student?
She's definitely from Scandinavia.
My gut tells me Denmark or Finland.
But look, I need a little more time.
Stay on it.
I've got a dozen guys waiting on her profile.
It's big money. Get it?
Got it.
Good.
Sorry about that.
I've got a couple irons in the fire right now.
You were saying?
Any chance you can get me into the time capsule display?
It could be arranged. When do you need access?
Tonight. Now.
I like your style, Archer.
Alright, I'll meet you there in five minutes
but we're gonna need a distraction.
I requested a disco track 32 minutes ago
and all I've gotten is house music and 80s rock.
Remedy the situation immediately.
Five minutes. Drop the track.
I'll take care of the rest.
(helium voice) You've got it.
Ladies, the recipe for success is simple.
A protein shake and a great attitude.
That's all it takes.
Fuel the body, nurture the soul.
You're such a poet.
Well I'm no Macklemore, but I appreciate that.
I'd say you're a regular Lord Byron.
I do love The Beatles.
So cultured, Mr. Larson.
Oh, please. Call me Brock.
Brock.
That's good.
Well Brock, I don't know if it's this soft lighting
or that third glass of punch,
but..would you care to dance?
Go powder your noses, ladies.
I need a few minutes of Brock time.
(Girl 1) Lucky bitch.
Now. Where were we?
I'm not normally this forward.
Don't apologize.
I tend to have that effect on people.
Male, Female
Straight, LGBTQ.
You are..really something.
Oh, I know.
Alright, you two have the guidelines.
I'm leaving it to you to fill in the blanks.
Don't worry, Archer.
We have ideas.
Right. Normally that would frighten me
but the clock is racing.
Tick.
Tock.
Okay. Just make sure nobody sees me at the display, alright?
Any questions?
Good.
Oh, Allan. You're looking dapper this evening.
Thanks, Ms. Prescott.
Are you having fun?
Definitely not bored.
Yes, it's certainly been an eventful night.
Oh, yes. Mm. Oh God. Mm. Mm. Mmmm.
Sometimes people think I have it too easy, you know?
But it's like, I try.
I really do. And people don't see that.
I know how you feel.
Everybody looks at me and it's like.Perfect face.
Chiseled body.
Dynamic personality.
That's all true.
But there's so much more to me than that.
Well you've just won the Pierce Prize.
Isn't that some sort of validation?
Yeah. It is.
Can I give you some advise?
Sure.
Don't try so hard.
(Music changes suddenly to faster tempo)
*
Alright. Let's do this.
Where's my distraction?
It's coming.
This track's only a few minutes, Archer.
Then I've gotta be back at the booth.
(Background voices) Come on, let's go guys.
Let's go.
(cheering)
Donna Summer [Hot Stuff]
* Sittin' here, eatin' my heart out waitin' *
* Waitin' for some lover to call *
* Dialed about a thousand numbers lately *
* Almost rang the phone off the wall *
* Lookin' for some hot stuff, baby this evenin' *
* I need some hot stuff baby tonight *
* I want some hot stuff baby this evenin' *
* Gotta have some hot stuff *
* Gotta have some love tonight *
* (Hot stuff) *
(Onlookers cheer wildly)
* I need hot stuff *
* I want some hot stuff *
* I need hot stuff *
Crap.
What?
It's a combination lock.
So?
So I don't have the combination.
You told me you could get me in!
Yeah, I thought my skeleton key would take it.
Look man, we've gotta find someone with this intel,
or else this whole operation's a no-go.
Figure it out, Johnny.
Oh, well that's convenient.
* Lookin' for a lover who needs another *
* Don't want another night on my own *
* Wanna share my love with a warm blooded lover *
* Wanna bring a wild man back home *
* Gotta have some hot love baby this evenin' *
* I need some hot stuff baby tonight *
* I want some hot... *
(Tim) Oh no no...
Lewis, Kate...stop.
Stop that's not funny.
Why are you so strong.
Alright, it's all set.
Where's Allan?
Still with Johnny Baker.
They haven't done it yet?
Relax, Claire. We've still got a couple minutes.
If they screw this up--
They won't.
We're on schedule.
Just let it play out.
Judy B.!
That's Ms. Bergman to you, Jonathan.
Right. Ms. Bergman, sorry.
Listen, I was hoping you could help me with something.
Depends what the something is.
Well I was hoping to sneak a little peek
into that time capsule display.
But that sheet of glass
just makes me feel so distant, you know?
That is off limits to students. But you knew that already.
Well that's actually why I came to you.
Cuz I figure you already know a little bit of something
about breaking the rules.
What are you talking about?
I don't know.
I'd say snuggling up to a married man is a little taboo.
Excuse me?
You're on the naughty list, Judy.
And Santa knows it.
* How's 'bout some hot stuff baby this evenin' *
Thanks.
Godspeed, hot stuff.
It's all in here.
My room's locked?
Just like you asked.
Thanks, Dex. See you soon.
Alright.
* Hot stuff baby, gonna need your love *
Go kimmy.
* Hot stuff *
* I need hot love, Lookin' for hot love *
* Wanna have hot love *
(Tim) I write for The Pierce Gazette.
*
(Allan) Mr. Brown?
Allan. What's wrong?
I need to talk to you.
What's the problem?
I'll explain, but not here.
Your room? Please.
Of course.
* Gonna have some hot stuff baby this evenin' *
* I need some hot stuff baby tonight *
* Looking for my hot stuff baby this evenin' *
* Need some loving baby Gonna need your love tonight *
Alright, Mr. Archer, I'm all ears.
What's going on?
I don't know where to start.
Well just jump right in.
I'll catch up.
I've been trying to piece together Dr. Carroll's
disappearance for months.
It's never sat right with me.
Alright.
That's why I left the Gazette.
I needed to figure out why he just took off.
For where.
But no one wanted to help me.
What just happened, Allan?
I got sidetracked around Christmas
when I saw you gave Brock an A+ on that paper.
I'm sorry, Mr. Brown, but there's no way.
There's just not.
Alright, don't be mad, but I looked through your gradebook
and I saw that he had straight A's in that class
and that's, it's just impossible, okay?
I know, you check the plagiarism websites
and you do what you can to make sure people don't cheat,
but somehow he must have fallen through the cracks.
Take a breath, Allan.
I thought for a minute, maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe I'm spinning my wheels on nothing.
But I have tutored him and he just does not get it, okay?
So I went into the records room,
and I know I could get in a lot of trouble for this,
but I checked his grades and literally everything down
there is below a C. Everything.
Allan--
That's not it, okay!
There were no grades from Dr. Carroll
in his permanent record, okay?
None. See?
Here.
The absentee log in the morning Dr. Carroll got hit.
Brock Larson is the only name who is not on that list.
The entire football team was in there that morning
so why wasn't--
(Brock) What the hell is going on?
Brock. Mr. Archer and I are having a little heart to heart.
Can you come back in a few minutes?
Actually, I invited him.
You..
Close the door.
I think he shot Dr. Carroll with the paintball gun, Mr. Brown.
Some petty act of revenge for standing in the way
of his birthright.
The Pierce Prize for Excellence.
*
(papers shredding)
*
Your investigative skills are as impressive as ever, Mr. Archer.
Though extraordinarily inconvenient.
You think you're so smart, you little punk.
Stop. It's not necessary.
You just couldn't leave it alone.
Could you, Allan?
Carroll didn't know how to play the game.
The academic landscape has changed
since he first picked up a piece of chalk.
He couldn't keep up.
All that son of a bitch had to do was just
give me the damn extra credit.
Just like everybody else.
Everybody else?
You really haven't figured that out yet?
You're not as thorough as I thought.
Enlighten me.
Legacies, trustees, wealthy alumni.
They're who keep this school afloat.
When they ask you for a favor, you give it to them.
A falsified academic record is a favor?
(Brown) We were incentivized.
You took a bribe.
(Brown) I took advantage
of an opportunity.
Something that Peter Carroll
ever the academic purist-refused to even consider.
And I'm gonna give you the same chance.
Right now.
What?
Name your price.
Oh no. I'm not taking your money.
That's your youth talking, Allan.
It's my conscience talking, Mr. Brown.
He got Dr. Carroll fired.
You both did.
Forced retirement due to public embarrassment.
Semantics are very important in these situations.
*Last chance to give me a number, Archer.
I'm in for a lot of zeros.
You shot an old man with a paintball gun!
I didn't shoot anyone. That's slander!
You don't even know what that word means.
I fired the gun, Allan.
Paintball's always been a hobby of mine.
Robotics, too.
I guess that's why I know a lot of math.for an English teacher.
You bastards.
As long as we're pulling suspects off the absentee list,
I recall your name being there, too.
Put the checkbook away, Brock. He lost his chance.
No one's gonna believe you.
It's your word against mine, Allan.
I've got tenure now.
People take what I have to say very seriously.
You've got nothing.
I found you on the catwalk.
Inches away from the weapon. Remember?
I was with the Gazette staff when the gun went off.
I have witnesses.
It was fired remotely.
Something that could easily have been done from your seat.
Just like it was done from mine.
(phone vibrates)
This isn't happening.
*
(mic feedback)
Thanks for the dance, Brock.
Let's get him! Yeah!
Dad!!
Mr. Larson! Can I get a quote for The Pierce Gazette?
Shove it up your ass!
Shove it up your ass. Got it.
I guess it worked, huh?
Good hunch, Allan.
(Allan) Alright guys, how we looking?
(Dex) I'm about to get more interviews
with Lewis and Kate.
We'll have everything to you by midnight.
You're sure you can make deadline?
(Dex) This is the easy part, Archer.
(Claire) Guys, where the hell
did you get those outfits?
(Lewis) Our closet
(Kate) They're vintage
(Allan) Right.
Hey, we should probably get going.
Thank you. For everything.
(Dex) You've got it, ace.
How's the follower count looking?
Haven't checked.
But if I had to guess, it'll at least triple by sunrise.
Good to hear.
Fired remotely, huh?
(Allen) Alright, Johnny.
Here you go.
Hey, always appreciate the prompt payment, Archer.
Boutonniere. Nice touch.
Yeah. The dumpster out back was a regular florist shop.
I think Kimmy over-ordered.
Something like that.
Hey, where's Tim?
He left with Kimmy before it all went down.
Seriously?
Disco's a powerful thing.
Donna Summer [Hot Stuff]
* I need some hot stuff baby tonight *
* I want some hot stuff baby this evenin' *
* Hot stuff baby, gonna need your love tonight *
Trouble again, Miss Merriweather?
Not quite.
Just a chat. Head and I are relatively close.
Even after missing the Spring Formal?
I heard it was quite something.
I never thanked you for the letter.
I didn't write it.
Just broke into your dorm to deliver it.
Just your average day at Alfred Pierce Prep.
You gonna miss it?
No.
Good luck, Elizabeth.
And you, paperboy.
(Faculty) Here here.
(Carroll) Thank you all.
It's good to be home.
Excuse me.
Mr. Archer.
Dr. Carroll, it is really great to see you.
I couldn't agree more, Allan.
Pleasant semester?
Eventful.
Any good books?
Some great primary sources.
Sounds good.
Small turnout, huh?
Well, they've been making a lot of changes around here.
All for the better by my account.
Well, I'm looking forward to next semester.
As am I, Allan. As am I.
What are we reading?
Aldoux Huxley. Brave New World.
We'll see where we go from there.
I'll see you in class?
Counting on it.
*
It's all yours now, Archer.
Take good care of the place.
So that's it, huh?
Four years in this room packed inside a cardboard box.
I'm taking memories, too.
(Allen) And the Pierce Prize.
Or at least half of it.
I gave the trophy to Kimmy.
A gentleman and a scholar, Timothy Hunter.
We did good, huh?
You did good, Archer.
I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this thing.
Oh. I got it.
(Brock) Almost forgot.
Have a good holiday.
(Brown) Thank you, Brock. Same to you.
Tim, why do you have something from the Larsons?
Archer, I--
Listen to me.
You knew.
Yes. I knew.
That's why you tried to keep me off of it.
Archer, it's over. Okay? It's all over.
You lied to me. To all of us!
I kept this newspaper alive.
Where do you think we got the money?
What?
I didn't take any of it.
Not one cent.
It all went into keeping the lights on
and the printers running.
Tim.
Brock came to me that day at breakfast.
Just before morning meeting.
He told me what was about to go down.
He said to name my price to keep the Gazette off the story.
And you--
I gave him our yearly operating costs.
Brock skipped morning meeting to call his dad to cut us a check.
It was on my desk that afternoon.
You're a hypocrite.
Maybe I am.
But I did what I had to do.
It all worked out, Archer.
We got our money and you still got to write your story.
That's a win-win.
Tim, they are gonna try to take us down with them.
How is that a win-win?
Another count of bribery will just add fuel to the fire.
That's the last thing the Larsons want right now.
Trust me.
They want this buried.
I won't spend the money.
You won't have to.
It's already gone.
Now that you're in this chair, you'll understand.
Newspapers are black and white, Archer.
But the choices you have to make when you're running one aren't.
Gotta tell you.
It was a hell of an article.
I'm a subscriber now, Archer. Don't disappoint me.
(Door clicks shut)
(door opens)
Archer, you see Tim? He was just heading out?
Yeah. We talked.
Are you ready to take this thing to the next level?
Yeah. I think so. You guys?
(Everyone) Hell, yeah.
Alright.
Well it's gonna be a busy summer.
Our subscription base has quadrupled
since the Larson scandal
and readership is requesting a bi-weekly summer edition.
So we're gonna have to meet back here twice a month.
(Claire) Thank God.
There's only so many days at the country club
I can spend with my mother.
You think we're gonna have enough material?
Oh yeah. I'm sure of it.
Just make sure you guys keep your eyes open.
There's always more to the story.
*
(Erik Bloomquist) We had two, three hundred
background actors, creating this dance.
It's a lot of wrangling, some have done a lot of background
acting in movies and know what it's like.
And some this was there first time ever being on a film set.
(Male voice) For more behind the scenes
insights into the making of the Cobblestone Corridor
visit cobblestonecorridor.org.