Today's installment in the '04 pilot's slideshow (atop this board) concludes one of the more humorous sequences in the pilot. And because it's one of my favorites I thought I'd make a post gathering it all together using a combination of the script and how things actually play out:
Previous to what we're going to get into, Roger comments how impressed he is with Vicki, and then after the script reads -
Behind them, Willie enters, setting Victoria's bags in the Great Hall. Seeing Willie, Roger's face tightens.- Roger is supposed to say -
Page 08 - Roger (CONT'D): 'I suppose we owe you an apology. Loomis should have delivered you an hour ago.'
- which is February 7th installment of the slideshow. However, in the pilot before Roger delivers that quote about Willie, Willie interrupts Roger by entering carrying Vicki's bags and breaking through the gathering of Roger, Vicki and Liz by delivering an unscripted -
'Excuse me.' - and after that is when Roger actually says -
Page 08 - Roger (CONT'D): 'I suppose we owe
you an apology. Loomis should have delivered
you an hour ago.' - to which Willie replies in the script with -
Page 08 - Willie: 'She's here, isn't she?'
- which is the February 8th installment in the slideshow, though what Willie says in the pilot is ever so slightly different -
Willie: 'Yeah. She's here, isn't she?' - (obviously there's no love lost between Willie and Roger) and after the script explains -
"Before Roger can scold him, Victoria interjects."Page 08 - Victoria: 'It's my fault. I asked Will to
play tour-guide and show me around Collinsport.' - which also happens to be February 9th's installment in the slideshow - and to that Liz replies with a pleasant and unscripted -
'Oh.' - and the script explains -
"Roger senses he's being played, but doesn't push it."- before Roger delivers February 10th's quote -
Page 08 - Roger: 'Really. Both stoplights?' - and continuing to attempt to cover for Willie, Vicki replies with the quote for February 11th -
Page 08 - Victoria: 'I was curious.' - and after that Roger is scripted to continue with his sarcasm by remarking 'And I'm sure all your late night "sightseeing" has left you exhausted' - but either that was cut before shooting or in the editing of the scene. Too bad because it's quintessential Roger.
And it also sets up Roger's next quote in the slideshow. But more on that after pointing out that the script then explains -
"A young maid, SOPHIA (20), enters. Seeing Sophia, Roger flickers a smile, and she smiles back -- a moment that Willie notices with some discomfort."- however, things don't exactly play that way in the pilot, but we'll deal with that shortly. First we'll move on to how after that Roger is scripted to deliver today's quote -
Page 09 - Roger (CONT'D): 'Sophia, take Miss Winters to her room. And make sure she doesn't get lost this time.'
- but while it's different in the pilot, it's certainly no less sarcastic because Roger actually says -
Roger: 'Miss Loomis, show Miss Winters to her
room. With luck you won't lose your way like
your brother.' - but getting back to Sophia and Willie's reactions, as seen in the capture, Sophia does indeed smile and Willie does indeed display discomfort - but in the pilot it plays as if they're reacting to Roger's insult against Willie rather than a smile Roger may have given to Sophia - though whether that change in impression is because of creative editing or whether Roger's possible look at Sophia was intentionally dropped and never shot, we'll probably never know...
But summing up with the main reason for this post, you've got to love the patented Roger Collins sarcastic wit!
If Roger had continued to have been written like that had the pilot gone to series, Martin Donovan's Roger definitely would have given Louis Edmonds' Roger a run for his money in the sarcasm department. And Vicki's attempt to cover for Willie is also fairly humorous...