Story by: Joss Whedon
Teleplay by: Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden
Directed by: Reza Badiyi
Transcribed by: AleXander Thompson for Psyche's Transcripts
Copyright © 1997 Alexander Thompson
Disclaimer
I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". They were created by Joss Whedon and belong to him, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Television, Kuzui Enterprises, 20th Century Fox Television and the WB Television Network.
This is not a novelization or a script. It is a straightforward and dry transcript of the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight". It also includes descriptions of the settings, action scenes and camera movements where I felt they were needed.
I made every effort to accurately transcribe the dialogue from this episode. If you notice anything that is transcribed incorrectly, please let me know and I will post an update. rev 98.09.24 This episode was originally broadcast on May 19, 1997.
Teaser
In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
Sunnydale High School.
Cordelia: I just love springtime.
Cut to the halls. Cordelia has her arms around her current boyfriend Mitch, and they and Harmony are walking down the hall.
Cordelia: Me and bright spring fashions!
Mitch: Spring training.
Cordelia: Me at the end of school dance.
Harmony: The end of school.
Cordelia: Definitely. My favorite time of year. (giggles) I am, of course, having my dress specially made. Off the rack gives me hives.
Mitch: Lemme guess: blue, like your eyes! (laughs)
Cordelia: (laughs) My eyes are hazel, Helen Keller.
Harmony: You two will look so fine together in the May Queen photo.
Cordelia: Well, I haven't been elected May Queen yet.
They've reached the library doors, and Buffy comes barging out. She bumps into Mitch and drops her bag, spilling out its contents: a couple of stakes, a couple of crosses, a mace and other stuff.
Cordelia: Uhhh! Behold, the weirdness!
Buffy: (looks up) You're probably wondering what I'm doing with this stuff, huh?
Cordelia: Wow, I'm not!
Buffy: Uh, for history class. Mr. Giles has this, like, hobby of collecting stuff... which he lent me... for show and tell. D-did I mention it's for history class?
Harmony: She is always hanging with that creepy librarian in that creepy library.
Cordelia and company continue down the hall.
Cordelia: (to Mitch) Hey, did I ever tell you about the time that she attacked me? At the Bronze? I don't know why this school admits mentals like her.
They laugh. Buffy watches them go with a depressed look on her face. Cut to English class. They are discussing 'The Merchant of Venice'.
Ms. Miller: 'If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?' (looks at the class) Okay. So talk to me, people. How does what Shylock says here about being a Jew relate to our discussion about the anger of the outcast in society?
Cordelia: Well, how about color me totally self-involved?
Ms. Miller: Care to elaborate?
Cordelia: Yeah. With Shylock it's whine, whine, whine, like the whole world is about him. He acts like it's justice, him getting a pound of Antonio's flesh. It's not justice, it's yicky.
Ms. Miller: But has Shylock suffered? What's his place in Venice society?
Willow: Well, everyone looked down on him.
Cordelia:
That is such a twinkie
defense. Shylock should get over himself. People who think their problems
are so huge craze me. Like this time I sort of ran over this girl on her bike.
It was the most traumatizing event of *my* life, and she's trying to make
it about *her* leg! Like *my* pain meant nothing.
Ms. Miller: Well, Cordelia's raised an interesting point here. (the bell rings) Which we'll pursue at a later time.
The students get up to leave. Cordelia comes up to Ms. Miller's desk.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller?
Ms. Miller: Good observations today, Cordelia. It's always exciting to know someone's actually done the reading.
Willow rolls her eyes behind Cordelia and leaves.
Cordelia: Thanks. Um, I wanna talk to you about my final paper. I'm real unfocused. I have all these thoughts, and I'm pretty sure they all contradict each other.
Ms. Miller: Well, I have your outline here, but why don't you stop by tomorrow after school? We'll go over it then.
Cordelia: That'd be great! Thanks a lot. (starts to leave)
Ms. Miller: You're welcome. I'll see you then.
Cordelia: Okay! Bye! (goes into the hall) Harmony!
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: They called and said the dress is ready. It's so great! Mitch is gonna die!
Cut to the boys' locker room. Mitch comes out of the showers, drying himself off. He wraps his towel around his waist and goes over to his locker. He dries his hair a bit with another towel, and then reaches into his locker for his clothes. Another boy closes his locker and comes over to him as he pulls on his pants.
Bud: Hey, Mitch! You goin' to the Bronze?
Mitch: Later. I'm pickin' up my tux first.
Bud: Uh huh.
Mitch: Gotta look sharp for the big dig.
Another boy comes over and joins them.
Bud: Oh, that's right! You gotta look good to be on Cordelia's arm!
Mitch: Oh, it's not her arm I'm lookin' to be on. (laughs)
The boys laugh and then go. Cut to a shot of Mitch approaching from the other side. Footsteps can be heard, and then a girl's giggling. Mitch hears it and looks around.
Mitch: Who's there?
He doesn't see anyone, so he continues getting dressed. He hears the giggling again, and looks behind him where he thinks it's coming from.
Mitch: Okay, fun time's over, come out.
He reaches for a bat on top of the lockers, but it floats up by itself. The bat swings and hits him, and he falls down. The bat swings again but misses and hits the locker doors. It hits him on his upper left arm twice. Another swing of the bat hits him in the face, and he's knocked unconscious.
Opening credits roll. Buffy's theme plays.
Act One
In the halls at school. Cordelia hands out chocolates while campaigning for May Queen.
Cordelia: Now, remember who to vote for for May Queen! As in me!
Boy: Thanks.
She sees Harmony and walks over to her.
Cordelia: Hi! Isn't this the bomb? I'm such the campaign strategist.
Harmony takes one and sees the 'C' on the wrapper.
Harmony: 'C'. For Cordelia?
Cordelia: No, 'C' for Wilma, little brain! Of course, 'C' for Cordelia! This way people will associate me with something sweet!
She absently continues to the next student.
Cordelia: Here's a chocolate... (sees it's Buffy and pulls her hand back) Oh. I don't think I need the loony-fringe vote. (leaves)
Buffy: Well, I-I don't even *like* chocolates. (to herself) Okay, that was the lamest comeback of our times.
Xander and Willow arrive.
Xander: So, what's Cordelia up to?
Buffy: Bribery. She's desperate to be May Queen.
Xander: Cordelia, man, she does love titles!
Willow: (reminded by that, laughing hysterically) Oh, God! Remember in sixth grade with the field trip?
Xander: Right! Right! The guy with the antlers on his belt!
Willow: Be my Deputy!
Xander: And remember the, the hat?
Willow: Oh God! The hat!
Buffy: Gee, it's fun that we're speaking in tongues.
Willow: I'm sorry. (calms down)
Xander: It's just that we had this, uh... You had to be there.
Willow: It's not even funny.
Xander: Really.
Willow: Uh, Cordelia just has a history of trying too hard.
Xander: Yeah, what kind of moron would wanna be May Queen anyway?
Buffy: (turns to her locker) I was.
Xander: You what?
Buffy: At my old school.
Xander: Oh! So the, uh, *good* kind of moron would do that. The, uh, non-moron, I mean.
Buffy: (closes her locker and turns back) Well, we didn't call it 'May Queen', but we had the coronation, and the dance, and all that stuff. It was nice.
Xander: Well, you know, you don't need that anymore. You got us!
Willow: (cracks up again) Be my Deputy! Oh, God...
Buffy feels very left out. Suddenly Bud comes running down the hall with news about Mitch.
Bud: Guys! C'mon! (Buffy looks up) Mitch got whaled on! I think he's...
Cut to the door to the gym. Principal Snyder is talking to the students.
Snyder: Dead? Of course not. What are you, ghouls?
They all turn to look when the paramedics open the doors to the gym and wheel Mitch out.
Snyder: There are no dead students here. This week. Clear back, make room, all of you.
Buffy grabs the gurney and stops it.
Buffy: Mitch, what happened?
Mitch: I don't know. I, I heard something. I tried to grab a, a bat... (guffaws, unable to believe what he's saying) that hit me.
Buffy: What hit you?
Mitch: The bat! By itself, the thing was floating, it knocked me out.
The paramedics wheel him away.
Buffy: (to Xander) I'd better check out the scene. (starts toward the locker room)
Snyder: Where do you think you're going?
Buffy: (stops and faces him) Um, Mitch wanted me to get his comb. He, he likes his comb.
Snyder: I don't think Mitch needs his comb right now. I think Mitch needs medical attention.
Willow and Xander exchange a look.
Snyder: And you need to stay away from the crime scene. Always sticking your nose in.
Willow: (loudly) Sue? What did you say? Mitch was gonna sue the school?
Snyder: (diverted by Willow) Sue? Who?
Buffy mouths a 'thank you' to Willow and Xander and quickly goes onto the locker room.
Xander: Well, his dad is the most powerful lawyer in Sunnydale.
Snyder: Hold on. What have you two heard?
Xander: His dad, the lawyer. You haven't heard of him?
Willow: Other lawyers call him 'The Beast'.
Cut to the locker room. It's deserted. Buffy walks quietly and looks around. She sees the bat on the floor and goes over to it. She nudges it with her foot and it just rolls away. She goes into the nearest row of lockers where four of the locker doors are damaged and wide open. She looks into one of the lockers and notices a large letter on the door next to it. She closes all the lockers and sees the word 'look' painted in red. Cut to later in the cafeteria during lunch.
Willow: 'Look'? That's all it said?
Xander: Look at what? Look at Mitch?
Buffy: Maybe. All I know is it's a message.
Xander: And...
Giles: (finds them) Ah, here you are.
Buffy: And monsters don't usually send messages. It's pretty much crush, kill, destroy. This was different.
Giles: I'd have to say you're right.
Buffy: I love it when he says that! Any theories?
Giles: (takes a seat) Uh, I'm, uh, it's a bit of a puzzle, really. Um, I've never actually heard of anyone attacked by a lone baseball bat before.
Xander: Maybe it's a vampire bat. (no response from the others) I'm alone with that one, huh?
Giles: Well, assuming the bat itself is not possessed, uh, there are a few possibilities that bear investigating. Uh, someone with telekinesis, uh, the power to move objects at will, uh, uh, an invisible creature, um, or possibly a poltergeist.
Willow: A ghost?
Giles: Yes, and a very angry one.
Buffy: Yeah, I'd say. The locker room was a real scene.
Willow: If it's a ghost, then we're talking about a dead kid.
Buffy: I guess so. You know, why don't you compile a list of dead or missing kids? It's probably a good place to start.
Giles: And, uh, I'll research all the possibilities, ghosts included. But, uh, Xander, if you're not doing anything, would you like to help me?
Xander: What, so there's homework now? When did that happen?
Buffy: It's all part of the glamorous world of vampire slayage.
Xander: Well, what part do you have?
Buffy: Gonna find out what I can about Mitch. This attack wasn't random.
Xander: Well, I want that part.
Buffy: Fine. You can do it. Ask around, talk to his friends. Talk to Cordelia!
Xander: Talk to Cordelia? (to Giles) So, research, huh?
Cut to the balcony. Harmony finds Cordelia at the drinking fountain.
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: Oh, hi.
Harmony: Cordelia, you weren't in fifth period.
Cordelia: I went to the hospital.
Harmony: Oh, Mitch. How is he? Will he be okay?
Cordelia: Well, the doctor says he'll be fine. They're gonna send him home tomorrow. But... you should've seen him lying there. All black and blue? How's he gonna look in our Prom pictures? How am I ever gonna be able to show them to anyone?
Harmony: Well, they can do wonderful things with airbrushes these days.
Cordelia: You think?
Marcie has a flashback. Harmony finds Cordelia at the drinking fountain.
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: Hi! Did you see Mitch? He just broke up with Wendy eight seconds ago, and he's already nosing around.
Harmony: It's shameless!
Cordelia: In the spring, if he makes varsity baseball, maybe I'll take him on a test drive.
Marcie: Hi, guys!
Cordelia: What do *you* want?
The flashback is over. Cordelia and Harmony walk along the balcony toward the stairs.
Cordelia: I just hope they can prop him up long enough to take the picture.
Buffy: (from the door) Cordelia, can I talk to you?
Cordelia: Oh, great.
Harmony: Why is she always try... Uff!
She jerks backward and tumbles down the stairs. Buffy, Cordelia and others come running down after her. Principal Snyder saw it happen, too.
Cordelia: Harmony!
Snyder: Oh, for heaven sakes! Clear back, everyone! Give her some air! (to a student) You! School nurse, now!
The student nods and scrambles to get the nurse.
Harmony: Ow! Oh, my ankle! I think it's broken.
Buffy: What happened?
Snyder: (to Buffy) Hey! Who's the principal here? (to Harmony) What happened?
Cordelia: She fell! She, she, we were standing at the top of the stairs and she just fell! All by herself!
Harmony: No! I was pushed!
Buffy gets up when she hears laughter and footsteps going up the stairs. She follows the sounds up the stairs. Snyder bends down and touches Harmony's ankle.
Harmony: Ow!
Snyder: Don't sue.
Buffy reaches the top of the stairs and still hears the laughter. She sees a door close and follows whoever it was in. Cut inside.
Buffy: Is anybody here?
She feels something bump her and hears footsteps going into the band room. She looks around, confused.
Buffy: Hey! Who's here?
She goes into the band room and hears activity somewhere. The ceiling access hatch in the corner rises up, but Buffy doesn't notice it.
Buffy: Okay, I know someone's here. Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna talk to you.
The ceiling hatch lowers back into place. Buffy looks around and finally leaves. The camera pans from Buffy up to the ceiling hatch in a corner above a cabinet.
Act Two
The main entrance to Sunnydale High after school. Students are leaving for the day. The camera pans over to two men dressed in black suits watching the student's activity.
Buffy: Giles, have you ever touched a ghost?
Giles: Uh, no. From what I've heard, uh, having a, a ghost pass through you is a singular experience. It's a, it's a rather, uh, cold amorphous feeling. It makes your hair stand on end.
Buffy: You see, that's my problem. I touched the thing, but it didn't go through me. It bumped into me. And it wasn't cold.
Xander: So, we're talking about what, an invisible person?
Buffy: A girl. She laughed.
Giles: A girl on campus with the ability to become invisible.
Xander: That is so cool!
Willow: Cool?
Xander: Well, yeah, I would give anything to be able to turn invisible. Well, I wouldn't use my powers to beat people up, but I'd use my powers to protect the girls' locker room.
Giles: It must be a fairly heady experience... having that ability.
Willow: How'd she get it? Is she a witch? 'Cause we can fight a witch.
Xander: Hmm. Greek myths speak of cloaks of invisibility, but they're usually for the gods. (gets looks from everyone) Research Boy comes through with the knowledge!
Buffy: This girl's sorta petty for a god.
Willow: She's got a grudge. But why Harmony?
Xander: Harmony and Mitch. The common denominator is...
Buffy: Cordelia!
Willow: So what now?
Buffy: First thing tomorrow, why don't you pull up that missing kids list?
Willow: Got it. I'll see ya then.
Buffy: Bye.
Xander: See ya. (leaves with Willow) Oh, hey, do you wanna come to our place tonight for dinner? Mom's making her famous phone call to the Chinese place.
Willow: Xander, do you guys even have a stove?
Giles: (to Buffy) So, I'll look into ways that you can de-cloak an invisible someone. What about you?
Buffy: I think Cordelia's gonna be workin' on her May Queen dress tonight. Maybe there'll be some action. Guess I'm gonna start the hunt.
Giles: How exactly do you propose to hunt someone you can't see?
Buffy gives Giles an inquisitive look. Cut to the halls that night. The shadow on the floor shows the doors opening.
Giles: You may have to work on listening to people.
Buffy: Very funny.
Giles: I thought so.
Buffy comes into the hall and hears activity to her left. She finds the room where Cordelia and her friends are getting her dress ready. They fuss over the dress. Buffy hears the conversation and laughter coming from the room.
Cordelia: Should I wear my hair up? Do you think I should wear it up?
Buffy peeks through the door to watch.
Cordelia: How does the, um, hem go? Is it, is it long enough, or...
Buffy smiles.
Cordelia: Isn't it beautiful?
Buffy looks down and remembers her own experience as Prom Queen. As she turns to go she hears a flute playing. She begins to follow the sound. Cut to the library. Giles comes up the stairs and stops when he hears the music, too. The music stops, and he continues into the stacks. He hears a squeaking and stops again.
Giles: Who's there?
After a moment he takes a few steps to a glass-enclosed bookcase and sees his reflection. He turns away and is startled by Angel standing there. He looks back at his reflection but doesn't see one for Angel.
Giles: (exhales) A vampire casts no reflection.
Angel: Don't worry. I'm not here to eat.
Giles: Buffy told me you don't feed from humans anymore.
Angel: Not for a long while.
Giles: Is that why you're here? To see her?
Angel: I can't. It's, uh... It's too hard for me to be around her.
Giles: A vampire in love with a Slayer! It's rather poetic! In a maudlin sort of way. What can I, uh... What can I do for you?
Angel: I know you've been researching the Master.
Giles: Yes, the vampire king. I've tried to learn as much as I can about him for the day that Buffy must face him.
Angel: Something's already in motion, something big, but I don't know what. You've read all the Slayer lore there is, right?
Giles: I-I've studied all the extant volumes, of course. But the, uh, most salient books of Slayer prophecy have been lost. The Tiberius Manifesto, the Pergamum Codex...
Angel: The Codex?
Giles: It's reputed to have contained the most complete prophecies about the Slayer's role in the end years. Unfortunately, the book was lost in the 15th century.
Angel: Not lost. Misplaced. I can get it.
Giles: (exhales, astounded) That would be most helpful! Uh, m-my own volumes have... been rather useless of late.
Angel: (looks at Giles' book) Legends of Vishnu?
Giles: (a bit embarrassed) There's an... invisible girl terrorizing the school.
Angel: That's not really my area of expertise.
Giles: Nor mine, I'm afraid. Uh, it's fascinating, though. By all accounts it's a, a... a wonderful power to possess.
Angel: Oh, I don't know. Looking in the mirror everyday and seeing nothing there. (cut to Giles' reflection) It's an overrated pleasure.
Cut to a girls' restroom. Marcie is having another flashback. She looks at herself in the mirror. Cordelia and her friends come in.
Cordelia: God! I am never sitting through another one of those alumni lectures again. Two hours of 'My Trek Through Nepal'. Hello! There is nobody caring.
Marcie: And did you guys see his toupee? I mean, it looks like a cabbage.
Cordelia: And those slides! 'That's a mountain. That's a mountain, too. Now look at some mountains.'
Harmony: I swear, he had three slides and just used them over and over.
Marcie: I know, but did you guys see his toupee? I mean, it was, like, the worst!
Harmony: (to Marcie) We're talking, okay?
Cordelia: Oh! And did you guys check out that extreme toupee? Yeah, that's realistic. It looked like a cabbage.
They all laugh. Cordelia and her friends leave the restroom. Marcie stays behind and feels very left out.
Snyder: The winner is Cordelia Chase!
Cut to the quad where a stage has been set up.
Snyder: Let's bring up our new May Queen.
The students in the quad all applaud. Xander and Willow walk out of the crowd.
Cordelia: Thank you for making the right choice, and for showing me how much you all love me. (applause) Being this popular is not just my right, but my responsibility, and I want you to know I take it very seriously.
Cut to Buffy leaning on a nearby pillar. Willow and Xander come up to her.
Cordelia: It all began when...
Xander: So, Giles said you'd be here. Why are you being here?
Buffy: Last night was a bust. But I still think Cordy's the key.
Willow: This is the dead and missing list. I pulled up their classes, activities, medical records...
Buffy: Good work.
Willow notices the two men in black suits loitering by some stairs.
Willow: Has Cordelia hired a bodyguard or something?
Xander sees them too, and he and Willow exchange a look.
Buffy: Hey, you guys, check out this one. It's the most recent one, Marcie Ross, disappeared, like, six months ago.
Xander: I don't know her.
Willow: Me neither.
Buffy: Her only activity was band. She played the flute.
Willow: So?
Buffy: Well, last night when I was hunting, I heard this flute, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. And it was in the band room that I lost Miss Invisible yesterday. You know what, this all tracks. I'm gonna check it out. See you guys later?
Xander: Okay, we'll see you after geometry.
Cordelia: (still giving her acceptance speech) Ask not what your school can do for you, ask: Hey! What am I wearing to the Spring Fling?
Cut to the band room. Buffy looks around and almost runs into a chair. She notices a boot print on it, guesses it was used as a step to climb and looks up. She notices in the corner of the ceiling that there's an access hatch. She climbs up onto the cabinet and crawls over to the hatch. She lifts it up and puts it aside as she pokes her head in and has a look around. She climbs up onto the ceiling and begins to crawl through the space. Near a skylight she finds Marcie's things. Her flute is there, and Buffy picks it up to look at it. The camera shows Marcie's view as she watches Buffy go through her stuff. Buffy picks up her teddy bear, looks at it and puts it back. She looks under some sheet music, finds Marcie's yearbook, pulls it out and opens it.
Buffy: Marcie Ross. So it is you.
As Buffy sits there and reflects, a knife floats in midair behind her left shoulder. Buffy closes the yearbook and takes it with her as she starts back to the hatch. In the band room she closes the hatch and climbs back down from the cabinet. Cut to Ms. Miller's classroom. She's waiting for Cordelia to show up. Marcie walks in and closes the door.
Ms. Miller: Cordelia, could you possibly be on time?
She looks up from her desk and sees no one's there. She goes back to her work as Marcie walks around behind her and giggles.
Ms. Miller: Who's there?
Marcie slips a plastic bag over Ms. Miller's head and ties it off. Cut to the hall. Cordelia arrives at the door and knocks. Cut inside. Ms. Miller is slumped over on her desk. Cordelia comes in.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller? (sees her) Oh, my God! Ms. Miller! (lifts her up) Oh, my God! (pulls the bag off) Are you okay?
Ms. Miller draws a sudden deep breath and begins coughing.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller, what happened?
Behind her at the chalkboard a piece of chalk floats up and begins to write.
Ms. Miller: Attacked. Didn't see.
The piece of chalk makes noise on the board, and Cordelia and Ms. Miller turn to see it finish writing the word 'listen' .