The Reunion Special (Segment 1)

BODIES OF WATER
S1 E30 - Reunion Special
Close Captioned • Recorded Live

*COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF TELEVISION BROADCAST*

HOST: Good evening! And welcome to our Bodies of Water Reunion Special. We're coming to you live from New York City where it all began.

One week ago today, our cast returned from their month-long stay in paradise. They were paired off by our audience, voting along at home, based on only five minutes of conversation, and then flown directly to their seaside retreat. There, each couple stayed within the confines of their private beach bungalow compound with only each other for company for the next four weeks. They had no contact with anyone else—not even the other cast members taking part in our little experiment. Our couples were one-on-one, with no choice but to get to know each other intimately.

For some couples, it was a month of watery bliss. Others went their separate ways, and sent their relationship to a watery grave.

But today, they're back in the real world! Our couples backstage have not been allowed to see one another for the past week since they returned, so tonight is a reunion for each of them as well.

I know we're all eager to see and hear from them. With no further ado, let's start things off with the couple who had us all talking. Please join me with a warm welcome for... Jamie and Cora!

[Host applauds along with audience, as Jamie enters off-screen left and Cora enters off-screen right.]

HOST: Hello, you two! Welcome. Let's watch your journey together, and see how it all began.

[MUSIC PLAYS: Blank Space - Taylor Swift]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[Fade in to Jamie/Cora opening interviews, spliced together in rapid cuts]

JAMIE: Hi, I'm Jamie Bowen. I'm a model from London, England. I'm 27 years old.

CORA: Hi, I'm Cora. I'm 27 years old, and I'm a postdoctoral research fellow from New York City.

JAMIE: You might say I'm an international man of mystery.

CORA: I'm looking for a man with an average body temperature of 98.6 degrees.

JAMIE: I've been all over the world, looking for love in all the wrong places. I'd love to meet someone who appreciates the finer things in life.

CORA: Bonus points if he has a jacket, and he's enough of a gentleman to loan it to me when I dress inappropriately for the weather.

[Cut to close up of Jamie posing, in profile with chin resting on his hand, followed by an image of The Thinker by Auguste Rodin]

SONG LYRICS: Got a long list of ex-lovers/ They'll tell you I'm insane/....

[Cut to close up of Cora flipping her hair and walking off the interview set]

SONG LYRICS: ...But I've got a blank space baby/ And I'll write your name.

[Studio audience applauds. Cora and Jamie are seated onstage on a couch, watching their highlight reel on a large screen behind them.]

HOST: They may have seemed like a mismatch at first, but something very interesting happened when we put this pair together. Do you two remember this, the very first moments you met?

[Cut to a low resolution overhead image of Jamie seated at a cocktail table. Cora enters and sits down. He dabs his forehead with a napkin. She smooths her hair.]

JAMIE: Don't fuss with it too much. It looks natural that way. [He reaches to adjust a strand of hair by her face] May I?

CORA: Thanks. I have no idea what I'm doing here, in case it isn't obvious.

JAMIE: [Leans forward] Glaringly obvious. In the best possible way.

SONG LYRICS: ...So hey, let's be friends/ I'm dying to see how this one ends/ Grab your passport and my hand...

[Cut to a live close up of Cora in the studio, watching the clip on screen. She claps a hand over her mouth.]

HOST: Do you remember that, Cora?

CORA: Um. N-no.

HOST: No? What about you, Jamie?

JAMIE: [Looks at Cora, then back at host, and smiles] Sure. Yeah. Pretty standard maneuver. You're giving away all my secrets, I see.

HOST: I seem to recall you had a few more up your sleeve. Shall we see what happened next?

[Jamie gestures for the highlight reel to roll. Fade in on a high resolution image of Jamie and Cora seated at their cocktail table]

JAMIE: Nice to meet you. I'm Jamie.

CORA: Hi. I'm... What?

JAMIE: I'm Jamie. What's your name?

CORA. Oh sorry. Cora.

JAMIE: Cora. And what do you do for a living, Cora?

CORA: I'm guessing you're a model.

JAMIE: Is it that obvious?

CORA: Maybe I'm just a good guesser.

JAMIE: If I had to venture, I'd say you're a... [He pauses for a moment, considering] A schoolteacher?

CORA: Definitely not.

JAMIE: No? I could've sworn.

CORA: I'm an optometrist, actually.

JAMIE: Really? Like, a doctor?

CORA: A doctor of optometry. Not a medical doctor.

JAMIE: Still...

CORA: And I have a second PhD as well.

JAMIE: In?

CORA: Biomedical sciences. My research is in optical biomedical engineering to be specific.

JAMIE: A double doctor.

CORA: A double D.

JAMIE: Best set of assets I've seen on anyone here tonight, to be fair.

CORA: [Glances down at her neckline] I'm guessing not somehow.

JAMIE: Ah. Well. Everyone's getting those nowadays. I'm a master of optical engineering myself. [He makes a photo frame around his face with his hands.]

CORA: [Laughs] We've got so much in common!

JAMIE: [Reaches across table, takes the cocktail olive from her glass, and pops it in his mouth] Truly. I can see why these crack matchmakers paired us.

CORA: Do you always steal other people's olives?

JAMIE: Sorry, it was tempting me. [He waves the empty toothpick] Did you want it? I'm sure we can get you another.

CORA: No thanks. I don't like olives very much.

JAMIE: You don't like martinis either, from the looks of it.

CORA: Not really.

JAMIE: Why'd you order it, then?

CORA: [Toasting him with her martini glass] I'm on a date with James Bond. It seemed appropriate.

JAMIE: Hardly. Do you like Bond movies?

CORA: I mean, doesn't everyone?

JAMIE: [Raises one eyebrow while adjusting the knot of an imaginary tie] "I'd take you to dinner, Miss Moneypenny, but I'd be court-martialed for illegal use of government property."

CORA: Is that a quote?

JAMIE: That's your cue. You didn't do your line.

CORA: Remind me.

[Jump cut to movie clip from Dr. No, 1962]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

JAMIE: It's from Dr. No, the first Bond movie ever made. Miss Moneypenny is his boss's secretary.

CORA: You mean the frumpy one with the hopeless crush on him?

JAMIE: She's not frumpy! Any case, she's supposed to say "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Bond, but don't stop trying." Or something like that.

CORA: And what does James Bond say to that?

JAMIE: No idea. That's the end of the scene, I think.

CORA: [Takes a sip of her drink] What do you imagine he says?

JAMIE: Most people don't bother to imagine what characters get up to after the camera cuts.

CORA: I do. Sometimes.

JAMIE: [He pauses, tilting his head] So do I.

CORA: And?

JAMIE: I imagine he takes Miss Moneypenny in his arms and kisses her silly. Why? What do you imagine?

CORA: [Shrugs] Probably cuffs her on the shoulder and calls her 'old sport,' or something very British like that.

JAMIE: Hmm. That seems less satisfying.

CORA: More realistic.

JAMIE: [He continues to study her for a moment] Let's see if I have this right. Your job is to help people see the world more clearly, and you prefer even your fantasies realistic.

CORA: Your job is to impersonate men you'll never be, and you fantasize about women with hopeless crushes on you.

JAMIE: [Slumps backward in his chair and claps a hand to his chest] The accuracy. My God, that's cruel.

CORA: [Sips her drink]

JAMIE: [Recovers and sits back up] The hopeless crush is mutual, I'll have you know.

CORA: You really think so?

JAMIE: Of course. Don't you?

CORA: I think Mr. Bond just likes the attention.

JAMIE: No, he fancies her. She's way out of his league.

CORA: She's out of his league?

JAMIE: She's quality, Miss Moneypenny, and he knows it. But alas, a boy can dream...

[Studio audience applauds as we fade out to a live shot of Host, Jamie, and Cora seated on stage.]

HOST: Who could forget a beginning like that! So what's the verdict now, you two, watching that back? Was the hopeless crush mutual?

CORA: We were talking about the movie characters!

JAMIE: She was.

CORA: Oh, and you weren't?

JAMIE: I was attempting to flirt with you.

CORA: All you had to do was offer me your jacket. That's all I ever wanted from you, you know.

JAMIE: I did!

CORA: You most certainly did not.

JAMIE: I warmed you up, one way or another. I notice you stopped shivering, Miss Moneypenny, from the moment I touched your hair.

****

Dear Readers: If you've read my other books, you know I love to play with multimedia and non-linear storytelling. I'm going to sprinkle in these flash-forwards throughout this book. What do you think?

It would mean the world if you would leave a few comments as you read, even if it's just an emoji here and there to let me know what's working
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or what isn't!
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Thank you for reading this book!