CHRISTOPHER DE PAOLA
Ep. 5 Lucky Loser
FAULT
Tommy, alone on the practice court. He takes out the piece of paper from his wallet BE #1. He crumples it up and tosses it away. Trace, from a distance watches. On his way out, Tommy reminds Justine to step in on the serve when she plays Justine.
Ernesto goes to Justine in an attempt to smooth things over between her and Tommy.
Real Justine expresses to Gloria what a mistake it is to fire Tommy, he’s a good coach.
in cash by the foreman. Tommy takes the cash and runs to the tennis club, using the cash to pay for a lesson. Tommy snaps out of the memory and plants the gold shovel in the ground. He hits something… it’s a coffin. He pries it open. Inside is Roost, dead. Suddenly, Roost opens his eyes. Tommy snaps back into reality and breaks ground.
Gloria invites Tommy to her bedroom where she’s getting dressed for a cocktail party. She asks Tommy to buckle her high heels. He gets on his knees and does. She knows it was Trace that was drugging Justine, but Gloria is most offended by the fact that Tommy went to Trace for help instead of her. Gloria summarily fires Tommy, days before Justine is scheduled to play Jupiter in a tournament for the first time.
TEASER FLASHBACK: The day Gloria and Trace met. Gloria, touring the tennis club while researching a role for an upcoming film. Trace is a small time tennis pro at the same club. Despite being told she’s out of his league financially, Trace approaches Gloria and charms her. She turns the tables and asks him to dinner…
Trace and Tommy at the ground breaking ceremony for the school… FLASHBACK to Tommy as a 12 year old, running around a construction site performing odd jobs. He gets paid
Olivia meets with Quorey, Tommy’s opponent from the US Open final. Quorey is destitute and living in obscurity. He sold his US Open trophy for money… We get a rare glimpse into an ugly side of the sport.
After this emotional interview, Olivia has a full blown fetal position panic attack. She sings pop lyrics to herself which calms her down. Olivia calls Tommy to tell him about Quorey- they have a moment of sadness and recognition, further blurring the line of their friendship/relationship. She tells him about the panic attacks. She wants to meet… he tells her to dress comfortably…