TV Series-Season 1
Episode 107: “Something Good”
Written by::Dean Batali
Directed by:Scott Smith
Produced by:
Martha Williamson
Guest Cast:Valerie Bertinelli | Rebecca Starkwell |
Adam DiMarco | Serge |
Leah Gibson | Linda Hawkins |
Nicole Fraissinet | Jennifer |
A new day at the DLO brings a spirited conversation between Oliver and Shane on the definition of “fun.” When Oliver suggests an upcoming weekend seminar on the future of home delivery is the epitome of fun. While Shane snidely responds that, in her mind, the dance classes she and Oliver took were fun. That was until Oliver suddenly decided to stop. That, Shane points out, is a perfect example of disappointment. Needing a break in the awkward exchange, Oliver points out that it’s time to get working on parcels in from the small, unattached items bin.
Filled with items from mailboxes or that fell out of unsealed packages, the unattached items exist “in an odd state of melancholic unbelonging.” Near the top of the box the team finds a CD with a note on the case:
“R.J., play this NOW. It’s a hit and this guy’s a star!
Trust me,
L.H.”
Hoping to learn more, the team has no choice but to open the case and listens to the CD. It’s a studio recording, and while no one recognizes the artist, it’s immediately clear this is someone’s love song. With nothing else to work with, Oliver suggests that Shane head out with Norman to meet Norman’s cousin Serge, “The Pawn Shop King.” Awkward and a little unnerving, Serge has an uncanny mental music database. He immediately recognizes Linda Hawkins, the lead singer of a well-known rock band, as the female backup. With that, it seems they’ve found the “L.H” who wrote the note, but the male lead singer is still a mystery.
Shane is able to contact Linda and, as it turns out, she remembered recording the demo at a nearby studio. The male lead, whose name she can’t remember, had real talent and a personality to match. As she recalled, the song was a sure fire hit and she hoped he would send the demo to her agent. She also reveals that she’d invited him to party with the band that night, but he never showed up. She assumed his girlfriend didn’t want him partying with a rock star. When Shane asks why she thought that, Linda says’ “Nobody writes a song like that about nobody.” Hoping to help out the aspiring musician, Linda passes along the address to the studio where they met, hopeful that Shane and the DLO team can track him down.
Shane and Norman go back to the DLO office to update the team on what they’ve found. As they walk into the office, they catch Rita, in the midst of a Miss Special Delivery pageant photo shoot. Part of a feature in an upcoming issue of “Mail Monthly” magazine, the photo shoot is being run by a dear friend of Shane’s, Rebecca Starkwell. Thrilled to have run into each other, the two friends head off to lunch to catch up. As they chat, the conversation turns to Shane’s co-workers, specifically Oliver. As Shane talks about Oliver’s quirks, her face lights up, revealing that her feelings for him may not be strictly platonic. The two are so wrapped up in their conversation that neither notices Oliver, who’s sitting just in earshot of their entire conversation. However, as she makes her way out of the restaurant, Rebecca turns the corner and sees him sitting at a table by himself. He apologizes for not making his presence known and Rebecca promises to keep quiet about seeing him. She also tells Oliver that his wife was crazy for leaving him.
In the meantime, armed with the information about the studio, Norman and Rita head out in the hopes of tracking down their mystery musician. At the studio, the studio manager, Jennifer Becker, immediately recognizes the CD as belonging to a former employee named Billy. She remembers that Billy was a struggling musician with a hard to pronounce last name. He’d been working at the studio part-time in exchange for recording time. Jennifer didn’t have his address, but she assures Norman and Rita that he would never have just lost something so important. She also said that while he didn’t have much, Billy did own a vintage motorcycle and guitar, a ’52 Gibson J45 that Jennifer still has at the studio. Forlorn, Jennifer says that it’s been a year since Billy recorded that track and that after leaving that night, he never came back.
Back in the DLO office, the team researches vintage motorcycles owned by “Billy’s” with strange last names. Shane locates a likely record registered to a “Billy James Antonopoulos.” She also learns that the motorcycle was involved in a crash over a year ago and that in the aftermath, the driver was admitted to the hospital and never left. The team head to the hospital and find a young man sitting at table playing checkers with a woman who identifies herself as his sister Kelly. While this is the Billy the team is looking for, he looks confused as Oliver hands him the CD. His sister explains Billy suffered a traumatic barn injury in the accident and that as a result, he’s lost his memory. It’s been a difficult recovery and it’s obvious that Billy is pining for something greater than his music. Just a few days before, Billy asked Kelly if he’d ever been in love. The question broke her heart, because she thinks he was.
Not wanting to upset Billy further, the team leaves the hospital. But on the way out, they begin rehashing the situation, and with the picture now clearer, Shane develops a hunch that Jennifer, the studio manager, may be the woman Billy wrote about in his song. She and Rita go to the studio and ask Jennifer in person. As it turns out, she and Billy were more than just friends. She reveals that on the last night she saw Billy, he confided to her that he had written a song for her. She goes on to say that night, Billy wanted to skip the party to be with her, but that she encouraged him to go a make the most out of the opportunity. He gave her a peck on the cheek and left and that was the last time she saw him. She’d always assumed Billy had gotten his big break and resolved that his leaving was the best thing for him.
Now, with all the pieces in place, Shane races back to the hospital with Jennifer in tow. When they arrive and Billy and Jennifer’s eyes meet, he says that he knows he should remember her. The moment immediately convinces Billy’s sister that Jennifer is the girl Billy wrote the song for. Wanting to help, Jennifer hands Billy his guitar saying, “You always said when you played it…it reminded you of who you are.” Starring at Jennifer, Billy begins to strum the guitar strings. As Billy plays, flashes of his past life come to him and the song he wrote for Jennifer flows from him. Sensing their work is done, the DLO team slips away and allow Billy and Jennifer to share the moment they’ve waited for.
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A spirited conversation between Oliver and Shane
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The DLO team tries to find out more about Billy
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Serge immediately recognizes Linda Hawkins
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Norman and Rita at the studio
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Shane tries to locate Billy by going through motorcycle records
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The team visits Billy in the hospital
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Shane and Rebecca
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Oliver and Norman play cards with Billy and his sister
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Rebecca and the team try to figure out whose CD it is
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Norman dusts the guitar for prints
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Outside the recording studio
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Rita at her photo shoot for Mail Monthly