Holmes: "Mo's Revenge": An Urban Super Sleuth TV Pilot

By Christopher C. Odom

HOLMES

“Mo’s Revenge”

ACT ONE

FADE IN:

EXT. DETROIT - NIGHT

A BRIDGE connects Detroit to Windsor, Canada.  An Asian Community just five minutes across the border.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMMUNITY CENTER - NIGHT

The Community Center rests in the heart of Windsor.

CUT TO:

INT. COMMUNITY CENTER - NIGHT

IRENE HU (25), an Asian girl whose appearance and Hip-Hop flavor dress could turn heads, leads several women and some men in a (Billy Blanks) Tae-Bo workout class.  Her hair is styled in twists (those are those skinny things that look kind of like braids and kind of like dreadlocks).

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. COMMUNITY CENTER - LATER

Irene waves good-bye to her last student driving away in a car.  Alone, she walks over to a JEEP CHEROKEE while fiddling through her purse for keys.

L'IL EVIL and BIG DOUGH spy on Irene from the bushes.  L'il Evil (22), is a pushy Napoleonic underling, while Big Dough (27), is his brawny, brainless, buddy and only follower.

L'IL EVIL

Now, Big Dough!

Big Dough steps on an empty COKE CAN sending the sound of CRINKLING ALUMINUM piercing through the night.  Irene spins around facing Big Dough.  L'il Evil slithers from out the bushes.

BIG DOUGH

Don't try anything stupid and you'll be all right.

Irene MACES Big Dough.  Big Dough knocks the mace from her hand.

BIG DOUGH

My eyes!

L'il Evil attacks Irene.  Irene zaps L'il Evil with two probes from an AIR TASER.

L'IL EVIL

Big Dough, help me.

Big Dough gets tangled in the TASER WIRE.  Trips over a TRASH CAN.  Washes his eyes out with a BOTTLE OF WATER in the trash.

Irene runs.  L'il Evil and Big Dough chase her into an

ALLEY

L'il Evil points a gun at Irene.

L'IL EVIL

We tried to be nice.  But, now we're not playing, little bitch.

IRENE

Fire!

L'IL EVIL

Don't even bother.  Nobody cares.

IRENE

If the scared little suburbanite girl routine didn't work, we'll have to take this to another level -- Tae-Bo.

Irene assumes a Tae-Bo stance.  Big Dough grabs Irene by neck tearing open her shirt, REVEALING A BARE BREAST.

Irene punches him in the nose and pushes his head against the wall.

BIG DOUGH

Help!

L'il Evil, frightened, shoots at Irene and misses.  Irene kicks the gun out his hand.  It FIRES.  Then she kicks him between the legs.  L'il Evil clinches his stomach.  Irene sprints out the alley.

As Irene runs, she looks back at L'il Evil and Big Dough.  She doesn't notice a four-door 1940's BLACK LOWRIDER blocking the exit to the alley.  Irene runs into the lowrider and falls down.

A BLACKENED WINDOW rolls down.  A man with shades looks out into the night.  A hand reaches out the window sprinkling ashes from a fat stogy onto Irene's face.  L'il Evil and Big Dough snatch Irene.

SMASH CUT TO:

MAIN TITLES

EXT. SOUTHWEST DETROIT - DAY

JOHN HOLMES (35), a cool, hip, handsome, street savvy African-American, strolls underneath a STREET SIGN:

"BAKERSFIELD STREET."

A BROWN PAPER BAG is clasped underneath his arm.  Holmes casually approaches a cruddy building.

He picks the lock on a PARKING METER.  Empties the change into his pockets.

Spots a DERELICT lying in the doorway of an abandoned shop.  Gives the derelict all of the change.

He stops at a grimy office.  The top of the DOORWAY reads:

"221-B."

Scrawled out in cheap paint, the office window reads:

"JOHN HOLMES.  PRIVATE DETECTIVE."

Holmes enters the office and flips a SIGN from CLOSED to OPEN in the window.

CUT TO:

INT. HOLMES' OFFICE - DAY

The office is cluttered with COKE BOTTLES AND CRATES.  Holmes removes a case of Coke from his brown paper bag and sits the Coke down on his desk.

Plopping into a tattered chair behind his desk, Holmes grabs a clump of BILLS from the desktop.  The TELEPHONE RINGS.  Holmes starts to answer, but peers at a CALLER ID SCREEN instead.  He decides to let the answering machine take the call.

SAL (ON MACHINE)

Yo, this is Sal.

JOEY (ON MACHINE)

And Joey.

SAL

From Banducci Brother's Used Car lot.  We know where you live and where you work.

Holmes tears up BILLS.

JOEY

If you don't tell us where the Convertible Caddy is,

SAL/ JOEY (ON MACHINE)

Uncle Tony said to break your fucking--.

The answering machine BEEPS.  Holmes opens a folder and fondles through various NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS.  The HEADLINES read:

"JOHN HOLMES TAKES DOWN DRUG LORD."

"JOHN HOLMES NAMED DETECTIVE OF THE YEAR."

"JOHN HOLMES IMPLICATED IN DIRTY COP SCANDAL."

"CRIME BOSS GOES FREE ON A TECHNICALITY."

"JOHN HOLMES LEAVES THE D.P.D."

MRS. HU (65), Holmes' estranged mean-spirited, but genuine Asian landlady, hobbles into the office via an OLD EXOTIC CANE.

HOLMES

Mrs. Hu, what a surprise.  I was just about to--

Mrs. Hu POPS Holmes with her cane.

MRS. HU

That's for not paying your rent, fool.

HOLMES

Fuck!

Mrs. Hu POPS Holmes with her cane.

HOLMES

Shit!

Mrs. Hu POPS Holmes with her cane.

HOLMES

Damn!

MRS. HU

How many times do I have to tell you about that foul mouth?

HOLMES

I have a check coming in the--

MRS. HU

There was no check in your mail.  But, that's only part of the reason why I'm here.  I came here so you can do something for me that will make it all even.

Mrs. Hu unbuttons her blouse and grabs her SAGGY BREAST.

Holmes' FACE is stricken with horror.

She removes a handful of ENVELOPES from her bosom and tosses Holmes his mail.

Holmes eyes the ENVELOPES, which show signs of being steamed open, but he is relieved.

MRS. HU

It's my niece, Irene.  She's missing.

HOLMES

(concerned)

The Tae-Bo instructor?  I remember her.

(a beat)

Is she still single?

MRS. HU

(ignoring his question)

Irene was supposed to take me to my weekly Mah Jongg game, but she never showed up or called.  I paged her and tried her cell phone, but still--no Irene.  That's not like Irene. 

HOLMES

What makes you think she's missing?

MRS. HU

Somebody broke into her apartment a few days ago, and just yesterday afternoon she told me she thought that someone was following her.

HOLMES

What did the police say?

MRS. HU

The police couldn't help me because she hasn't been gone 24 hours.

HOLMES

Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Irene?

MRS. HU

Her father was no good.  He was a thug and a gangbanger.  Always in and out of jail.

Holmes pops open a can of COKE.

HOLMES

Go home and wait by the phone, Mrs. Hu.

MRS. HU

I don't have any money, largely because you never pay your rent.  But, if you find Irene, we can call it even and I could even float you a few more months.

HOLMES

Irene is going to be fine.

MRS. HU

What makes you think so?

HOLMES

It's like butter, baby.

CUT TO:

MONTAGE

INT. GARAGE - DAY

Holmes pulls a COVER from the trunk of a car.

He opens the trunk and rummages through a GYM BAG full of BADGES and GUNS.

He snatches a gun and checks the chamber.

LICENSE PLATE READS:

"HOLMES."

The car is decked out with GOLD PLATED RIMS.

Hydraulics bounce the car.

CUT TO:

EXT. GARAGE - DAY

Holmes drives through the doors of the garage in a convertible vintage Cadillac lowrider.

END MONTAGE

CUT TO:

EXT. NEWSSTAND - WEST GRAND BOULEVARD - DAY

REV stands on an apple crate shouting through a megaphone, amidst the hustle and bustle of people waiting at a bus stop and sneaking free peaks at the nudey magazines.

Rev (30), is a Caucasian man who tries to act like a down home African-American preacher.  He is dressed in a colorful ornate flamboyant suit that could only be church clothes.

LEROY (45), an African-American, scraggly, unkempt bum, sits next to Rev in the amen corner.

REV

Brothers and Sisters, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.

Bus riders and passers-by try their best to ignore Rev, but he's like a bad accident you know you shouldn't watch but you must.

REV

Praise the Lord, Saints!  Praise the Lord!

Leroy drums on a milk crate.

REV

My brothers and sisters, I'd like to talk to you for a moment about...

Rev searches frantic for his notes.  Oops, forgot them.  He snatches a TV GUIDE from the newsstand.

REV

Well-uh, when I was a young man and living in the world.

He reads from the daytime line-up.

REV

I was living like a Card Shark, huh.  And before I knew it, I found myself in Jeopardy.  Yes.

LEROY

Preach, Rev!

REV

So, I fell down on my knees and said, Father, Let's Make a Deal.  And then, God let me take a spin on his almighty Wheel of Fortune.

Some of the crowd snickers, while others scoff.

REV

Because in my Father's house, there are One Hundred Thousand Dollar Pyramids.  And the Price Is always Right, because Jesus paid it all.  Oh Lord.  Yes!

A bus arrives and Rev's crowd delineates.  As the bus drives off, Holmes rolls slowly by to a halt in his Convertible Caddy.  Rev steps down from his apple crate and moves towards Leroy.

REV

How much do I owe you today, Leroy?

Leroy struggles to form TWO FINGERS.

LEROY

Six.

Rev fans the stench of Mad Dog and Nitrane from his nose.  Leroy yields a toothless grin of appreciation and stumbles away.  He hands Leroy a six-pack of beer.  Holmes calls out from his Convertible Caddy.

HOLMES

We're not condoning alcoholism now, are we Rev?

Rev turns to face Holmes.

REV

What's up, Holmes?  It was non-alcoholic beer.  He's too drunk to tell the difference.

HOLMES

I need your help.  We've got a job.

REV

You know I'm always down.

Rev hops into the Convertible Caddy without opening the door.

REV

How much does it pay?

Holmes gives Rev a blank look.  Drives away from the newsstand.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMMUNITY CENTER - DAY

Holmes and Rev peer through the door of the Windsor Community Center.

REV

What do you mean?  I can't believe you took a job with no money, again.

Holmes surveys the parking lot.

HOLMES

Over there.

Rev sees Irene's JEEP CHEROKEE.

HOLMES

That looks like Irene's Cherokee.

Holmes and Rev walk over to the Cherokee.  Holmes gets down on his hands and knees.

REV

If you took this job for no money, what are you going to pay me with?

Holmes grabs Irene's keys from under the truck.

He sniffs a MACE CONTAINER on the key chain.  Coughs.

HOLMES

The mace was discharged about 12 hours ago.

Holmes walks over to the bushes.

HOLMES

I thought that you wanted to learn how to be Black.

Rev sniffs the mace.

REV

Oh, yeah.  Anybody could have figured that one out.  Actually, I think it was 10 hours.

Holmes pushes the bushes apart and notices two sets of FOOTPRINTS.

HOLMES

There were two of them.  One big and one little.  The little one is the order giver and a coward.

REV

There's no way you could have known that.

HOLMES

It's like butter, baby.  They tracked muddy footprints across the pavement.  Instead of the big footprints and little footprints lining up side by side, the big footprints are spaced close together because the big guy slowly sneaked up on Irene first.

Rev looks and learns from the FOOTPRINTS.

HOLMES

But something went wrong--Irene maced him.  There's a set of little footprints spaced wide apart in between the big tracks because the little guy ran out of there when Irene maced the big one.  But, they still didn't take her down.

Rev finds the TASER WIRE from the AIR TASER lying 15 yards away on the pavement.

Script Pages 1 - 10

Christopher C. Odom is an Award-Winning Writer, Director, Producer and Author who earned his Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles. An Associate Member of the Writers Guild of America, west Independent Writer’s Caucus, Christopher has won numerous screenwriting and filmmaking awards. His work has been nationally televised and screened in cities worldwide, including Tel Aviv, Berlin and Cannes.

About The Author