Scene II

Notes:

scam infml. to scam	a scam is a large-scale illegal trick, usually with the purpose of getting money from people or avoiding paying tax
duds Am. E. slang	clothes
to solidify	if something such as a position or opinion solidifies, it becomes firmer and more definite and unlikely to change
Grace Kelly (1928-82)	a US film actress who was famous for her beauty. She became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier in 1956, and she was a very popular princess who was often written about in magazines and newspapers. She was killed in a car accident.
to blend in	if something blends into the background or blends in, it looks or sounds similar to the background, so it is difficult to see or hear it separately
to stomp Am. E. slang to get one’s heart stomped	to beat, to misuse someone to break one’s heart
to screw up infml.	if someone screws something up, or if they screw up, they cause something to fail or be spoiled
Madonna (1958 - )	a US singer and film actress, one of the most successful pop musicians of the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for dressing and performing in her concerts and videos in a way that is sexually exciting and sometimes shocking
prospectus the Basset Prospectus	a prospectus is a detailed document produced by a company, which gives details about it
sport Am. E. infml.	friend, chum
ballpark infml. (ballpark estimate ballpark figure)	a range of numbers, prices etc. within which the correct figure is likely to be a rough estimate
to can Am. E. slang	to dismiss someone from employment
slump	a slump is a time when there is a lot of unemployment and poverty in a country Am.E. a period of time when a player or team does not play well

Vocabulary:

pathetic	if you describe a person or animal as pathetic, you mean that they are sad and weak or helpless, and they make you feel very sorry for them
down payment down payments	if you make a down payment on something, you pay a percentage of the total cost when you buy it. You pay the remaining amount later.
priority priorities (to get one’s priorities straight)	if something is a priority, it is the most important thing you have to do or deal with, must be done or dealt with before everything else you have to do
to crash Am. E. slang (to crash a party, a wedding)	to attend a party or other event uninvited
to come clean infml.	to admit to guilt or mistake
to set up (see: setup/to set up – Episode I, Scene I, Vocabulary)	if you set something up, you make the preparations that are necessary for it to start; if you set up rules, you establish them
break infml.	a chance (especially to make things better); piece of good luck

Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?

1. You’re gonna be out a work if you keep scamming like you are.

2. I’m not the same pathetic trusting fool that I was a couple days ago.

3. May your life together be long and happy and may the road always rise up to meet you.

4. I want to get things in my life solidified. You’re not the only one who has plans.

5. I’ve been up here all night working the numbers. I’d like to go over it with you. Can we meet for lunch? I mean, lunch is all right, isn’t it?

6. Oren Trask’s daughter is getting married tomorrow. There’s a reception following it at the Union Club. I figure I blend in and get to Trask. How hard could that be?

7. You are not even giving him the slightest chance to make it up to you and that’s not like you.

8. Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. It doesn’t make me Madonna. Never will.

9. Wait a minute. I’ve been working on this thing for 36 hours trying to put it together. I’ve got a progress meeting with the head of my department at 2:00. Where the hell exactly are we?

Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)

1. No, you look good. Classy. Did you have to go to traffic court or something.

2. My loan was approved just this morning. Put down payment on Jimmy’s boat.

3. You set us up, doing it like that. Would you expect me to lie and just automatically say “yes”?

4. Look, I don’t need this. Get yours priorities straight, maybe we’ll talk. Right now, we’re history.

5. I’ll come clean as soon as I get my end set up. I swear. I know what I’m doing.

6. What’s their ballpark?

7. How am I supposed to calm down? One lost deal is all it takes to get canned these days. The line buttons on my phone all have an inch of pieces of tape piled on… the names of new guys over the names of old guys. Good men who aren’t at the other end of the line anymore because of one lost deal. I don’t want to get buried under a little piece of tape.

Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:

1	down payment	a	the most important thing you have to do or deal with
2	a break	b	to admit to guilt or mistake
3	to crash	c	weak and helpless, making you feel sorry for them
4	pathetic	d	a chance, a piece of good luck
5	to set up	e	to attend a party uninvited
6	priority	f	a percentage of the total cost you pay when you buy something
7	to come clean	g	to make preparations for something to start; to establish

Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order; from 1 to 10;

• I wanted to get them excited about the concept before I started throwing actual figures at them.

• I’m not gonna to spend my life working my ass off and getting nowhere just because I followed rules that I had nothing to do with setting up.

• It’s my engagement party. She knows she’s dead meat if she doesn’t (show).

• You fucking humiliated us in there.

• You set up this meeting without me. What does that say? What the hell kind of a way to do business is this?

• To Cyn and Tim. To you and me. To you and your promotion. To me getting a boat loan.

• It went well in Memphis. Yeah. Really well, I think. We’ll have to move fast and hit them high. Armbrister thinks of Metro as family and you know how it can be.

• I need you to summarize the Barrett prospectus. Hi, Schotz. Send that along to me with the last two quarterly reports.

• First of all, look me in the eye and tell me you’re not thinking, even in your wildest dreams Mr. Briefcase-Let’s-Have-Lunch will take you away from all of this.

• Okay. So I’ve been in a little bit of a slump. I’m not afraid to admit it. There it is. Give me a break here. Don’t leave me out. If you have some doubts about me, say them to my face. Give me that much.

Task 5. Answer these questions:

1. Why do you think Tess and Mick split up right after Cyn’s engagement party? Was it because Mick “set” them “up” at the party?

2. What do you make of Tess’s plan to crash Oren Trask’s daughter’s wedding party? Was it not a little “over the top”? Give your reasoning.

3. Can we say Cyn was right in trying so hard to make Tess “get her priorities straight”? Justify your answer.

4. What new things do we learn about Jack and his work record from the slight misunderstanding they had with Tess over her “appointment” with Trask?

Task 6. Discuss the following:

Tess McGill has set herself very high goals and is dead set on succeeding in attaining them. What new light does Scene II throw on her character? What character traits does it bring into focus?