Alexander Hoyle
Professor Amy Bloom
Film 455
February 12, 2013
Treatment
Untitled – half-hour comedy for FX
Premise: Kevin Short, a recent graduate of UW-Madison’s MA program in History, has decided
to leave the Midwest and upper-level academia to see the world… but, afraid of truly drastic
change, decides to teach history at the small, private International School of Washington, DC
(K-12). It is present-day.
There, he finds that much of the tenured faculty is uninspired and uncaring – they are
downtrodden by the bizarre demands of the principle (who carries out the unorthodox
objectives & curricula of the elusive board of directors). The young faculty is more vibrant,
maintaining a naïveté and idealism as they struggle to remain employed and actually teach.
Students are quiet and obedient in addition to being of far above-average intelligence (but the
school does not bill itself as an institution for the “gifted”). There’s a larger sense that
something is “off” with this school, but it remains ambiguous.
Over the course of the season we gain the sense that ISDC is a school operated by a larger
entity, likely the US government. We suppose that this agency’s goal is to indoctrinate foreign
students (often children of diplomats) with pro-American sentiments, but this is not explicit –
they could be operatives in training, it could be totally innocuous. In fact, it remains a subtle
element of the show. Such ulterior motives are played for comedic and satirical effect. The
faculty is generally unaware (i.e. willfully ignorant or just plain ignorant) of any larger
conspiracy, and as a result, so is the audience. This background is simply meant to provide
external sources of humor and absurd/surreal elements. The whims of the principle (i.e. the
agency) merely provide the episode-to-episode problems that they deal with, wherein Kevin tries
to follow directives while maintaining his idealism and need to “do good.”
Kevin Short (25)
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Kevin is white, from Wisconsin, and has never left the US. He’s the “new guy” in town,
the audience surrogate.
Kevin has just obtained his MA in History at UW-Madison (where his mother is a
professor) – he didn’t make the cut for the PhD program and didn’t “even like the
abstract, overly analytical world of academia anyway.” With no job prospects and tired of
living at home, he has decided to pursue teaching 6th grade social studies at the
International School of DC in the hopes of gaining a bit of worldliness…without actually
travelling (which he is fearful of). He’s been able to get the job at the school despite his
lack of international experience since a family friend is the dean of students (Ian Green)
who coincidentally was looking for a history teacher at the same time. He’s replaced the
prior teacher who left under “mysterious circumstances” midway through the school
year.
Kevin is fairly intelligent but has his head in the clouds and is overly idealistic. In
general, he’s a tad clueless. After taking note of the despondency among the
established/tenured teachers at the high school he hopes to have a positive impact on the
students and the institution as a whole. His overarching ideology is to “do the right
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thing” but really doesn’t know what this entails as his life has been pretty sheltered up
until this point.
Initially, he’s a terrible teacher– his students outpace him considerably and he can’t
control them.
Kevin doesn’t fare well with women. Although he’s got a quiet sense of humor and is
reasonably good-looking, he’s generally timid and lacks assertiveness. He tends to get
walked over – he’s not an asocial nerd stereotype or a wuss, but rather a simpleton (in
the street-smart sense, he has enough general intelligence and problem solving
capabilities) who believes in the good in people.
Kevin can’t drive.
Max McCourt (29)
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White and very attractive, from NYC, mother was an officer in the US Army (and later
Military Attaché to the American Embassy in Paris) so he’s travelled a lot. He went to the
University of Edinburgh to study Comparative Literature (where he “received” his
Masters- but this is brought into question).
Max has a magnetic personality. He’s extremely witty – making jokes at the expense of
others that are too funny to get overly offended by. His students love him. He’s the
‘model teacher’ in theory – taking time during class to make large, sweeping comments
about success/relationships/life/etc. that are always relevant to students’ and teachers’
lives.
In reality, though, he’s a huge slacker. Max got into teaching because he thought it would
be easy – he’s never really worked hard in his life. Everything has come to him as a result
of either his charm/schmoozing. The International School of DC is a relatively new
school and not terribly prestigious, and a word from his father gained his admittance.
He’s been working there since he graudated.
Max ’s very closed off from people emotionally speaking. He doesn’t like to “open up.”
Kevin takes a shining to Max, and their relationship forms the core of the first season.
Max takes Kevin under his wing, teaching him the ropes (both within IDC and in his life
outside).
He’s in a relationship with Xui-Li, but (as we discover over the course of the season) is
also sleeping with a student (a junior in high school). He is promptly terminated upon
this discovery. This crushes Xui-Li and Kevin.
Xui-Li “Julie” Lah (26)
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Asian, attractive. Spent her childhood in China before coming to the US to attend college.
She teaches elementary school math: not because of her academic background (she has a
Masters in English Lit from Columbia), but because there was an opening and the
principle wanted an Asian face in the math department. She’s been working at ISDC
since
She is incredibly driven and intelligent. She cares for her students but does not treat
them in the paternalistic way that Max does. She has a reputation for being a hard
teacher, although this is merely because she wants her students to succeed.
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Julie has a “no-bullshit” kind of attitude. She doesn’t suffer excuses from her students
and doesn’t put up with jokes at her expense (despite her relationship with Max – this
causes strain and tension). She does poke fun at Kevin in a light-hearted way.
Kevin develops a crush on her right off the bat, but doesn’t act on while Max is in the
picture. Julie takes a liking to Kevin, admiring his idealism, but pokes fun at his slip-ups
all the same. She enjoys Kevin’s inoffensive sense of humor and allows him to “give it
back to her,” which creates some resentment with Max.
Edna Kruzinski (46)
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White, was once attractive but is now rode-hard and hung up wet – her figure remains
supremely intact. She teaches the fifth grade.
Edna has been divorced for seven years. Her ex-husband cheated on her, which she
would not tolerate despite his being the breadwinner. She fell back on her degree in
education from UMass –Amherst in order to support herself; she used to teach fifth
grade before she met her husband at 30. She is childless and an alcoholic; she lives
alone.
She does have a strong sex appeal (despite being a little run-down), and as a result has
slept with many of the male teachers at ISDC – although she’s had an on-again, off-again
relationship with the principle for the past year. She’s looking for something serious –
she needs a relationship.
Edna is a competent teacher, but finds little joy in teaching (unlike before her marriage).
Her students aggravate her although she tries to hide it for their benefit. She can be
bitter but is not entirely unlikeable; she’s a tragic character. We see a deep sadness
within her, and in the moments where she connects with a student or lets her guard
down with Kevin she gains our sympathy.
Edna sees a lot of herself in Kevin – the idealism and the concern for his students – but
he reminds her of this happier time in her life and she harbors a mild resentment
towards him. Such feelings are complicated by the fact that she does want Kevin to
succeed and likes him as a person.
Jean-Marie Dubois (37)
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Black, French, single father. He’s got a benign look to him – balding and heavyset. His
wife passed away in a car crash about three years prior in Nice, France (at that
international school). Seeking to get away from the place where they met, he takes the
next available teaching opportunity, which is as a middle school science teacher at ISDC.
Jean-Marie Chip on his shoulder from being bullied in high school. At ISDC, he’s the
butt of the faculty’s jokes (mainly stemming from his being French and unassertiveness).
He’s what Kevin would turn into if Kevin wasn’t making an effort to assert himself – for
Jean-Marie, it’s never “worth the fight.”
He loves teaching, but has a complicated relationship with his students. Since he’s downto-earth and pals around with his students, he sometimes runs into the pitfall where he
loses their respect. When he manages to maintain the balance and keep his footing in
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the classroom, he’s an effective and inspiring teacher. He has strong relationships with
some of the more ‘troubled’ students.
That said J-M is on the verge of giving up caring about his job – the stress from the
higher-ups is too great, and the emotional rewards too few and far between.
He and Kevin get off on the wrong foot, but he comes in to replace Max as Kevin’s close
friend when Max is out of the picture.
Rezā Rouhani (53)
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Persian, dark, tall and a quiet sort of handsome. Rezā’s past and private life are almost
entirely unknown, but it’s clear he left Iran some time ago (~20 years) and has been the
head of ISDC ever since.
Rezā is a hard ass. He doesn’t genuinely care about the welfare of the students, but
rather the image of the school itself. It’s not that he’s evil, (although sometimes it might
seem as such), rather it seems he has ulterior motives.
Rezā is not afraid to say no – in fact, he enjoys denying requests when it’s sent up the
ladder from his lackey, Ian. He can be reasoned with, but only under extreme
circumstances or through well-executed persuasion.
The only strong connection he has to any of the faculty is through Edna, but it is tenuous.
It’s unclear whether he or Edna are more invested in their relationship – since they’re
both so guarded (even with each other), it never becomes fully clear (although we get the
sense that they’re mutually dependent).
Ian Green (48)
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White, British, speaks with a lisp. Was a graduate student of Kevin’s father at UWMadison (hence the connection). He has been the Dean of Students at ISDC for the past
15 years.
He’s schlubby and very friendly – he wants to please everybody and hates playing the
bad guy. However, since he does the bidding and dirty work on behalf of of Rezā, he
must often renege on promises.
Ian is thus disliked by most of the staff and faculty. Since he’s kind-hearted, it’s hard to
stay that mad at him, but generally speaking the characters are distrustful of him.
Pilot:
In our first scene, we see Kevin trudging through deep snow in graduation robes
clutching a diploma – he’s graduated early, in December. He walks towards an idling two-door
car and enters the passenger side. Inside, he sits next to his mother as they drive home in
silence. There’s a “dialogue” of V.O.s wherein we learn about Kevin’s failure (not getting into the
program) and his mother’s general ambivalence towards him – his mother puts an arm around
his shoulders before they exit, smiles, and tells him “I like you, Kevin” (he expects an “I love
you”).
When they get inside the home, he slumps down on the couch and unfurls his diploma –
Master of Arts in History. We have a long series of scenes, Kevin walking around the house in
his underwear and a bathrobe, sitting on the couch watching TV in a bathrobe while his mother
brings him milk and cookies, eating dinner with his parents in a bathrobe, getting denied for a
license at DMV in his bathrobe. Finally we see him looking forlornly (in his bathrobe and
underwear, again) at children laughing and playing at recess in at the neighborhood school.
V.O., “Fuck I miss school. Didn’t have to worry about work, or money…” In his periphery,
someone walks up next to him. Still fixated on the children playing, he says – “don’t you wish
you could be in there with them?” He turns to an old man wearing a trench coat, who gives him
a toothless smile and knowing nod. Kevin leaves.
Back at home, Kevin is watching “An Idiot Abroad,” which stars a
xenophobic/Eurocentric character who doesn’t know what to make of foreign cultures. V.O. to
the effect of “I really get this guy. Everywhere else is so weird.” He looks out the window to see a
neighbor yawning excessively. “But Wisconsin is so boring.”
During dinner that night, Kevin, in passing, expresses an interest in teaching to his
parents. His mother jumps on the opportunity to get him out of the house. V.O. “My son
couldn’t teach a fish how to swim.” To the father: “Don’t you have an old student who teaches at
some international school in DC?” The father catches her drift and immediately calls Ian Green.
After a short conversation, he hangs up and tells Kevin:
“You start Monday.”
Kevin arrives at ISDC on that Monday, a sprawling campus in Bethesda, MD. Ian Green
meets him and begins to give him the tour – he’s very, perhaps overly, friendly. They look into
various classrooms of students in middle school. In the science lab (taught by Jean-Marie),
children are performing oddly dangerous experiments – creating small bombs and the like.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” asks Kevin.
“We value real world experience here” assures Ian. There’s a V.O. from Kevin “I guess
that makes sense.” They continue the tour, meeting our central characters along the way: Edna
has her class sit in silence while massaging her temples; Max is making grandiloquent, rambling
speeches; Xui-Li is teaching 3rd graders students trigonometry, Kevin catches her gaze through
the window and smiles.
They arrive at the teacher’s lounge where Ian offers Kevin a drink, who asks for water.
Ian turns to a young child in a tuxedo, “A water for Mr. Short here and a bit of brandy for me,
thanks.” Kevin, shocked, asks why a child is bartending. “We value real world experience here,”
assures Ian. At this moment Rezā comes up to the bar and orders a Manhattan. Introductions
are made. Kevin questions the unorthodox nature of the things he’s seen so far, Rezā remarks
that they “do things a little differently than in *pfft* Wisconsin.” Kevin smiles and nods. Ian
informs Kevin that he has his first class immediately, for which he (Kevin) is totally unprepared.
“What happened to the last guy, by the way?” asks Kevin.
“Well, you see, he left under … mysterious circumstances.”
“Oh.”
Standing in front of his class of 6th graders, Kevin asks where the last teacher left off.
“We were just learning about how America won the war of independence” answers a
young girl.
“Oh yes, and how’s that?”
“We were better than the British.”
Taken aback, Kevin tries to correct her “Well, I mean, that’s not exactly true…I mean in a
sense, we were still British.” Now the children are aghast. The girl begins to cry.
At lunch, Kevin is invited to sit by Max and Julie (who are clearly a couple). “Hey, new
guy, heard you said Americans were pussies” challenges Max.
“Well, no, not exactly…”
“I’m just screwing with you, man. But seriously, America is number 1 around here.”
“What exactly is going on? Kid bartenders?”
“Oh you know, no child left behind, war on terror, divided congress, you know.”
“Oh.”
Introductions are made, and Max invites Kevin out for drinks later. “Julie here has got
‘papers to grade.’ Loser.” People are making fun of Jean-Marie for eating pizza with a knife and
fork. Trying to fit in, Kevin goes too far with a joke at which nobody laughs. J-M glares at him
then looks down into his food dejectedly.
Back in the teacher’s lounge towards the end of the day, Kevin is preparing lesson plans
for his class. Rezā drops off a list of guidelines for the lesson and a textbook – both overtly proAmerican. Kevin sighs, and there’s a V.O. expressing a desire to change the nature of the school.
Edna is sitting across from him with a drink in hand. She starts up a conversation. “Hear you
screwed up today.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry about it, hon. You have to learn to live with it…it’s weird here, I know…”
“I’ll do my best. I think I can actually teach these kids something despite
this…propaganda.”
“Ha! Good luck with that.”
That night, Kevin and Max go out to a club in DuPont Circle. We see that Max isn’t the
greatest guy since he starts to hit on other women at the club. “Aren’t you with Julie?” asks
Kevin.
“What’s the harm in a little flirting?” The night goes on, and Max gets incredibly drunk.
“You okay to drive man?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Pussy.” Max begins to pass out. The episode ends with Max slung over Kevin’s arm as
they walk home (ideally in front of some iconic monument).
Examples of Episodes:
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Kevin spends an episode trying to make up with Jean-Marie, but he only makes things
worse.
Edna makes a drunken pass at Kevin early in an episode, apologizes later (sincerely), and
offers to help him with lesson plans…their relationship ultimately strengthens but is still
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strained due to Edna seeing herself so much in Kevin and not quite sure what to make of
it.
With Max predisposed, Kevin and Julie chaperone a joint field trip into DC and get close
to each other.
There can be a B-plot of Max running around (outside of the school) having an affair
with the high school girlfriend.
Max’s relationship with the high school student is discovered; fallout among faculty and
with his friends.
Theme: When faced with bizarre, hopeless, and incomprehensible circumstances, your best
hope is that you’re not facing them alone.
Tone:
The show relies on character interactions stemming from a large cast, for its humor and
heart. In this sense, the show’s tone is closest to a Parks & Recreation or Scrubs. It features
character development and minor relationship drama necessary to maintain continued
viewership.
We get asides/V.O.s from characters played for comedic effect, which is similar to the
effect in Peep Show.
The absurdist elements are somewhat similar to those found in Louie (i.e. far subtler than
Better Off Ted, but the general uncertainty surrounding the purpose of the school is similar to
that of the corporation in Ted).