Robert Devlin's
Inside the Watcher's Council
Teaser
Story by Dan Joslyn, CN Winters and Zahir al Daoud
Written by Dan Joslyn and CN Winters
Directed by Dan Joslyn and CN Winters
Produced by CN Winters
Edited by Lilly
Sounds by CN Winters
Art Direction by Robert Kidman
Artists – Robert Kidman, CN Winters, Zahir al Daoud, Isis, and Mattxxx
Cover Art by CN Winters
Fade In:
Graphic
A giant red 3-D CNN logo whooshes into place, accompanied by the usual deep voiced narration of James Earl Jones.
"This is CNN."
Fade to Black
Title: The following is an Exclusive CNN Special Report.
Fade to Black
Title: Sensitive viewers should be advised that this program contains graphic violent content and potentially disturbing situations, including death and dismemberment of vampires.
Fade In:
Television Studio
"Hi, I’m Robert Devlin, and I would like to welcome you to this Exclusive CNN Special Report."
The former newspaper reporter walks toward the camera in an ultra-modern TV news studio, lined with tempered glass and large television screens.
"The Watchers Council burst onto the world scene during the Crisis of May 2005, after centuries of rumors and cover-ups. An organization that had spent most of its existence being mentioned in the same breath as the Illuminati and UFOs suddenly found itself in the international spotlight. The Council has all the elements that make up a good story…drama, adventure, heroics, a little sex…but it was also intensely private. Most high-ranking councilors have resisted attempts by the press to turn them into superstars, with varying degrees of success. The existence of the Watchers Council may have been exposed, but its dealings still took place behind closed doors."
"I had my own run-in with the Watchers Council in 2005 while working for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, several months prior to the Council’s coming out party. The evidence I uncovered was incontrovertible enough to warrant an order to erase my memory, an order that came from then-Chairwoman Rowena Allister herself. I later received a formal apology for this incident, and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for my work."
"I do not know whether the lingering guilt over what happened then is related to the Council’s recent decision to allow myself and a CNN camera crew exclusive, unprecedented access to the Watchers Council’s HQ in Cleveland. I can tell you that this documentary is the result of that access, which took place over a few weeks prior to Christmas. With that said, CNN will be the first to take you…Inside the Watchers Council."
Cut To:
Apartment Complex Hallway
"Alpha team is in position."
Amira, Valentine, and a few other girls crouch in a dingy hallway outside a door marked "#302", except the three is backwards and falling down. It was Amira who spoke into her radio. They are all dressed in stealth armor.
Cut To:
Council Command Center
Robin takes a sip from a mug of coffee and speaks into the microphone in front of him.
"Roger, Alpha Team, you are a go. Be careful in there."
Cut To:
Apartment Complex Hallway
The camera zooms in on Amira’s face as she replies. "Roger that, we are go."
Cut To:
Interview
Amira speaks directly to the camera.
"My name is Amira Aziz and I work for the Council on…Special Operations. I was born in the Gaza Strip. I worked as a slayer in Paris for many years. That’s where…sorry about the accent, I have only been in this country for a year."
Cut To:
Apartment Complex Hallway
Two of the girls break down the door of room 302, and camera shakily follows Amira and Valentine as they enter the room, weapons drawn. At the far end of an incredibly cluttered room, a man hunches over a large, bubbling cauldron.
"This is the Watchers Council. Put your hands in the air."
Amira (V.O): "The life I have lived has taught me that there are terrible things in the world, but there are also other terrible things… what I mean is, you cannot become upset."
The man turns, an angry expression on his face. He throws a fireball at the slayers, just missing, and then they open fire. Rather than being torn apart by a hail of bullets, he finds himself trapped in a deep red anti-magic field. The mage screams.
Devlin (V.O.): "This is what most people have in their heads when they think about the Watchers Council. Super-powered young women, magic, daring raids…"
Cut To:
Council Cafeteria
Several young girls wait in line at the lunch counter, talking excitedly and wielding red plastic trays. At the front of the line, Andrew plops a pile of macaroni and cheese on Denise’s plate.
Devlin (V.O.): "But this is also the Watchers Council."
Cut To:
Watchers Rec Room
Jackson and his friend Markham engage in an intense game of "Guitar Hero," playing the song "Woman" by Wolfmother with varying degrees of success.
Devlin (V.O.): "And so is this…"
Cut To:
Council Library
Dawn sits alone at a research table in the middle of the night, an incredibly thick tome open in front of her. She rubs her eyes with her hands, then returns to the research.
"And so is this. Join us as we unravel the mystery of the Watchers Council."
Cut To:
Buffy’s Office
Announcer (V.O): "Coming up on Robert Devlin’s Inside the Watchers Council…"
Buffy points to the Scythe as it hangs on her office wall. "And this is it, with a capital S."
Announcer (V.O.): "A visit with the Council’s reclusive Chairwoman."
Cut To:
Coven Room
Announcer (V.O.): "And tragedy strikes the Watchers Council."
Willow holds a cell phone to her ear as other members of the Coven look on. "She’s…she’s dead?"
Black Out
End of Teaser
Act One
Starring:
Lacey Chabert as Skye Talisker, Gale Harold as Jim Pollan, Caroline Dhavernas as Grace Hatherley, Elijah Woods as Jeff Lindquist, Norika Fujiwara as Mia Nakata, Laura Pyper as Casey Pierce, Asia Argento as Marie, Alexis Bledel as Denise, Tessa Thompson as Chamique, Steffani Brass as Shannon Matthewson, Rachel Hurd-Wood as Lorinda Sheparton, T.R. Knight as Jackson, Helen Shaver as Becca Giles, Robert Picardo as Dr. Miller, Laura Prepon as Lori Carew, Christine Romano as Hope Lehane, Cote de Pablo as Amira Aziz and Gary Oldman as Mr. Jason Felix
Guest Starring:
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Robert Devlin, Freema Agyeman as Siobhan Hartley, Winona Ryder as Valentine Pavlov, Marcia Cross as Autumn O’Mara, Jonas Armstrong as Stewart Markham, Lee Pace as Rocky Cartwright, and Brad Dourif as Brell.
Graphic: "CNN Special Report"
Announcer (V.O.): "And now we return to an exclusive CNN Special Report….Robert Devlin’s Inside the Watchers Council."
Fade In:
Council Kitchen
Andrew pours a bag of coffee beans into a filter.
Robert Devlin (V.O.): "Morning at the Watchers Council."
Andrew fills a large pot with oatmeal mix.
Andrew shakes an industrial-sized jug of orange juice.
Devlin (V.O.): "One man awakes early for a daily ritual…making the breakfast that will fuel a few hundred evil-battlers for the day ahead."
Cut To:
Interview
Andrew speaks directly to the camera, his face in close-up.
"My name is Andrew Wells. I’m the Hospitality Chief. I also hold a high rank in the Coven…I see my job as making everyone feel at home, which is important because most of us live here. If people didn’t feel at home where they live, they would just be…homeless. No one wants that."
Cut To:
Interview
Faith sits comfortably in a chair in her apartment, feet up. She speaks directly to the camera.
"Andrew’s kind of our den mother. It’s been that way since we started this…I guess he’s s’posed to keep us from going crazy. Works sometimes."
Cut To:
Council Cafeteria
A long line of girls waits for food. At the front of the line, a small, sleepy-looking boy with a prominent brown cowlick plops a large serving of oatmeal onto his plate.
Andrew (V.O.): "Balancing different responsibilities helps me, I think. Cooking isn’t that different from magic. You mix the ingredients, and sometimes you end up with something great. Sometimes…it’s like that time Nemesis went up against Harry Potter. Not pretty."
Images follow of people eating together, laughing. Young slayers gossip, and Kennedy and Kadin share a meal in a corner.
Devlin (V.O.): "Mr. Wells oversees the daily meals of several hundred Council employees, a task he handles entirely in-house."
Cut To:
Interview
"As the number of people has grown, we’ve discussed going to frozen food, catering services," Andrew says, "and maybe that would be more practical…but we’re a family here. All of us. We should eat family meals."
Cut To:
Council Meeting Room
The camera follows Robin through a door and into what looks like a large lecture hall, full of half-awake watchers.
Devlin (V.O.): "After filling up on Mr. Wells’ home cooking, the rest of the family begins what is sure to be another long day."
The camera catches Grace yawning.
Robin takes his place behind the podium and opens a binder. "Okay," he says, "Good morning everybody. I’ll be running the early meeting today once again, due to the absence of Councilor Allister."
Cut To:
Interview
Rowena sits on her and Willow’s sofa, a thick blanket over her round stomach. She speaks directly to the camera.
"Yes, technically I am on maternity leave, but…we all live in the same building, so it’s not much of a leave. If something’s killing people, well, I’m all over that. But these children are not going to be born in a meeting."
Cut To:
Council Meeting Room
Robin flips through his notes. "Yesterday we received several confirmed sightings in the Cedar-Lee and Little Italy neighborhoods. Looks like there’s a new threat in that area. Demons of all different types. I’m going to form a task force…Jackson, you’ll head that up."
Jackson nods and types something on his open laptop. "That’s something new," he comments.
"That’s why this is a high priority," Robin tells him.
Cut To:
Interview
Grace stands outside the meeting room.
"Something new?" She scoffs. "Yeah, right. Sometimes I feel like Bill Adama in this business…you know: ‘All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.’"
Cut To:
Hallway Outside Meeting Room
Lori exits the meeting, leaning heavily on her cane. She speaks with an African-American woman who looks about thirty. "I think you may want to give Jaye a little more leeway. She’s had problems in the past, but she’s coming along…"
Devlin (V.O.): "The Watchers Council recently merged with a commercial organization known as Bureau Nine. On the surface, the transition seems to be going smoothly. We asked one of the better-known of those who came over from the Bureau, former CNN commentator Lori Carew, about how she and her colleagues have been adjusting."
Cut To:
Interview
Lori sits in the Watcher Rec Room, her face in close-up.
"It’s going amazingly well, actually. I think there was some skepticism at first…on both sides, really. We both brought strong personalities, but I think that when we merged, it was…it was something we both needed, at least I thought it-I thought it was…"
Her voice breaks, her eyes glistening. "When we came together, it was beautiful. I think…I think I can only see that now."
Devlin, sitting across from Lori, looks confused. "I’m sorry…was?"
Lori stutters. "Um...I…I’m sorry, I…I can’t…what is it?"
Siobhan suddenly appears behind Lori, softly placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Jason needs you…" Siobhan glances up at the camera, "for an issue…that he’s having…relating to monsters."
"Oh, okay, um…" Lori wipes an eye with the back of her hand, turns to Devlin. "Sorry."
Cut To:
Interview
Xander is in his workshop, eyeing the camera suspiciously.
"Well, I agree with her, then. Things couldn’t have gone better. We’re just one big happy family. I personally have always been supportive of our new friends from the Bureau, and have done everything I can to make their lives…pleasanter…wait, is that a word? It isn’t, right?"
Cut To:
Interview
Jason Felix sits in a large, comfy-looking chair in his living room, fireplace going in the background.
"I personally feel that the Council’s original staff has been more than welcoming…it’s been an incredibly exciting opportunity."
Cut To:
Interview
Faith raises an eyebrow.
"He said that?" She bursts out laughing, then tries to control herself. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry…just, wow."
Cut To:
Buffy’s Office
Buffy glances through a report while speaking on the phone. "So it looks like that situation is under control, but I’d still like to…"
Devlin (V.O.): "The architect of the merger was the Council’s chairwoman, Buffy Summers. Her exploits as both a slayer and a leader are the stuff of legend, but I found her to be surprisingly down to earth."
Cut To:
Interview
Buffy is behind her desk, Devlin in the chair across from her.
"First of all, I feel like I have to ask, is Buffy your real name?"
Buffy just looks at him, then just can’t help herself and emits a girly giggle.
Devlin (V.O.): "We asked Chairwoman Summers to show us around her own, little-seen personal world."
Cut To:
Buffy’s Office
Buffy points out the spot on her wall where the Scythe is hanging.
"This is the Scythe…it’s supposed to be the ancestral weapon of slayers, forged by the ancients to kill the last pure demon, you know, usual conversation piece. I still take it down and give it a workout every once in a while."
"You still work in the field?" Devlin asks.
"Well, yeah." She shrugs. "It’s who I am. I’m still a slayer, right?"
Cut To:
Interview
"You have been a part of this fight during basically three entirely different eras," Devlin points out. "At one time, you were the only slayer in the world, working in secret. Then that changed, and there were many slayers."