"Previously on "Hellcats..."" "You sure school's worth all this?" "Dan, I'm going to graduate, pass the bar up north and work in a D.A.'S office." "You're applying for a scholarship?" "I have one now for cheerleading." "Cheerleading?" "Hello, Marti." "Welcome to Cheertown." "All I can think about is being with you." "I'm all in." "Where are you?" "I'm not where you want me to be." "Dan." "Dan." "Do you know Dan Patch?" "Quit yesterday." "Cleaned out his locker, said see ya." "I lost Dan once." "I'm not losing him again." "Honey, you just did." "I need two pre-law students to help me." "A man is sentenced to life in prison for a minor burglary." "It's got to be a frame-up job." "That's the only thing that makes sense." "Bill Marsh is a powerful man at this school." "And if we're gonna go after him, I need concrete proof." " Jake?" " Jake?" "So, they caught Jake on tape, and Marsh had Overton cover it up and frame Travis." "If I get this disk to Julian, he can get Travis out of prison." "But then Jake will go to prison instead." "I wanted to come clean, but I was in too deep." "Bill Marsh had already gotten people to lie for me." "We had to protect ourselves." "And protect football." "That's the same thing." "So, you don't remember anything about the people who chased you." "It happened so fast, you know?" "Look, I'm sorry we wasted your time." "It wasn't my idea to call you." "Ok." "We'll call if something turns up." "Thank you for coming out." "I can't believe you called the police." "Somebody chased you down in the dead of night." "You could have been hurt or worse." "You need to tell the police the truth." "What truth?" "That I broke into Bill Marsh's office and stole the contents of his safe?" "You were totally justified." "I appreciate the support, mom." "Out of curiosity, what if I had just told you that I killed a man?" "I'd assume you had a very good reason." "And then I'd go buy some bleach." "I love you." "But seriously, this has to stay quiet for now." "Are you avoiding me?" "That implies effort on my part." "It's more like I'm enjoying being places you aren't." "I need you to get that DVD for me." "What should I do?" "Ransack Marti's room?" "Torture it out of her?" "Do what it takes." "Ok?" "'Cause otherwise, someone else will." " Is that a threat?" " Do you have any idea how many strings were pulled and laws broken to keep me out of jail?" "Powerful people stuck their necks out to save me." "Next time, they'll know better." "There won't be a next time." "There is no way that Bill Marsh is gonna allow some cheerleader to destroy Lancer football." "Isn't that a little dramatic?" "Given the way this city feels about the game?" "No." "It's big-time money, Alice... television, ticket sales, merchandising." "We're talking tens of millions of dollars at stake, the kind of money people get hurt over." "People like Marti?" "I need that disc, Alice." "Congratulations." "You've just been upgraded." "Now I'm avoiding you." "Alice, come on." "Alice." "Jeez." "What?" "Jake says that if that DVD comes to light, it will destroy football at Lancer." " He's probably right." " But football pays for all the expensive programs, including the Hellcats." "And our scholarships." "You think I don't know that?" "You're gonna hurt a lot of people." "Wow." "Since when when did you get all public-spirited?" "You're just trying to save your boyfriend." "Think what you want." "There is an innocent man in jail doing Jake's time." "You're suggesting what, I let him suffer to protect scholarships?" "Protect football?" "To protect your family." "Travis doesn't have any family." "I am all he's got." "Ok?" "Stop trying to rattle me." "I've barely begun." "Come on, pick up." "Come on." "Fine." "I surrender." "What do you want?" "Thanks for answering." "Well, you finally wore me down." "Where are you at?" "I'm getting fitted for a tux in a small room by a very nice tailor named Olaf." "You still in Memphis?" "I'm in New Orleans, actually, doing some volunteer work for the oil spill cleanup." "It's therapeutic." "But you're coming back for your brother's wedding, right?" "Wanda is planning the event." "I'm sure she has access to the guest list." "I'm asking you, smart ass." "What do you want, Marti?" "I'm really feeling alone right now." "I have a... a hard decision to make, and I need my friend right now." "I'm sorry." "I can't." "You know, we've been through a lot, Dan." "We can weather this." "Yeah, there's gonna come a time, but it's not now." "You know, I shouldn't have picked up the phone." "I led you on, and I'm sorry for that." "Dan, please don't hang up." " Good-bye, Marti." " Dan..." "Dan!" "Aah!" "Surprise!" "You all suck, truly and deeply." "Getting abducted was my favorite part of initiation night." "You might want to consider therapy for that." "What's going on?" "You never got initiated." "Tonight, we're gonna fix that." "Now?" "Why now?" "Well, when you joined, we were in panic mode." "Yeah." "We were so busy getting you up to speed with qualifiers, then sectionals, we forgot." "Until Alice reminded us." "Alice reminded you." "You're welcome." "Initiation cements your place on the squad, so let's get this party started!" "Party time, baby." "You are under-dressed..." "here you go." "I know what you're doing." "It's a cheap trick." "If you're determined to put a bullet in Hellcats," "I'm gonna make you look us in the eye when you pull the trigger." "Come on." "Here's the deal, Marti." "The Hellcats were founded 2 1/2 decades ago." "Over the years, we've developed many special traditions." "This, for example, is the spirit stick." "It symbolizes the Hellcats' spirit and unity." "A stick full of spirit." "Love it." "Don't drop it." "That's very important." "Who wants to read the letter?" "I'll do it." ""To all future Hellcats." ""If you're reading this, it's initiation night," ""and the Hellcats spirit is about to be passed on" ""to another generation." ""Like anything else in life, the squad is yours now," ""but it won't be forever." ""Make it the best you can, and pass it on." ""The faces of the Lancer Hellcats may change from year to year," ""but we're always family." ""Toollie Maloney," "Founder, the Hellcats, 1985."" "Toollie Maloney?" "Come on, that's not a real name." "Oh, yeah, believe it or not, she's has a photo in the Trophy Case and everything." " Oh, jeez." "Wow." " You can't buy hair like that." "That's..." "Uh, if you drop that, it's a bad omen." "Do we get six more weeks of winter?" "Heh." "I know, it's goofy." "I don't really believe in omens, but it's the tradition." " So, just don't drop it." " Relax, I won't drop it." "Thanks." "When we initiated Savannah, she was gripping that thing so tight, it almost popped out of her hand like a watermelon seed." "Yeah." "She barely caught it before it hit the ground." "So, that means Alice has been a Hellcat longer than you?" "By a few months." "I was Vanessa's first recruit." "But she made me work for it." "My dad had just blown off "Parents' Weekend", and..." "I didn't take it well." "Alice Verdura, 19 years old," " alcohol poisoning." " Ok." "Let's start her on two large bore I.V.S with saline." "She's gonna need a gastric lavage." "You're gonna be ok, hon." "I just got my stomach pumped," "I don't feel like being yelled at right now." "They call it "Parents' Weekend" for a reason." "I don't check my messages, You should have been here." "You should be here now." "Don't..." "Don't even." "If it was one of your boys in the hospital, you'd be here." "Knock-knock." "Who are you?" "I'm Vanessa Lodge," "I'm the new coach for the Hellcats." "We're competitive collegiate cheerleaders." "I know who the Hellcats are." "You guys haven't qualified in six years." "I'm impressed that you know that." "So, what's this?" "A recruiting visit?" "Something like that." "I'm gonna turn the Hellcats into the champions they used to be." "Well, don't get so busy with that you forget to feed your pet unicorn." "Your high-school team was Peachtree Classic champ" " Three years running." " Who told you that?" "I spoke to your old coach, Marian." "I came here to study Economics, learn something about business." "It's time to put away the childish things." "You think that will make your father respect you more?" "Marian's got a big mouth." "So, you don't miss cheerleading." "If it's as simple as that, then just say so and I'll leave you alone with your traumatized liver." "It's as simple as that." "I mean..." "There's parts I miss." "You miss the flying." "I can see it on your face." "You're a risk-taker... just like me when I was your age." "What are you, my stalker?" "I gave it up, too." "Biggest mistake of my life." "Follow your bliss, Yeah." "I get it." "What?" ""Follow your bliss." It's a funny expression." "It's a cliché." "It's good advice, though." "I moved on, I've got a new life now." "Yeah." "How's that new life working out for you?" "Fantastic." " Ok." "Well, if you change your mind..." " I won't." " You know where to find me." " I don't need saving." "Mm-hmm." "You can keep the book." "See you at practice." "I hate to admit it, but..." "Vanessa was right." "I needed a change." "I needed saving." "That's what the Hellcats do, Marti." "We're an institution that saves people." "May it live forever." "Mm-hmm." "Who's hungry?" " I am." " Whoo!" "Yes." "Ohh!" "This is fun, and you're not smiling." "What's wrong?" "It's nothing." "Marti, please, you can tell me." "Oh, please, just drop it." "I'm fine." "I'd handle this differently if I could, you know that, right?" "I don't know any such thing." "Hey." "Lewis!" "Tell Marti what made you join the Hellcats." "Oh, no." "No, I have no interest in talking smack about your boyfriend." "I think it's relevant." "Relevant to what?" "A problem that Marti's sorting out." "Anyhow, you won't hurt my feelings." "Jake and I broke up." "Seriously?" "I dumped him this morning." "Go ahead." "Tell your story." "Drink." "Flynn is down for the count!" "Get him a body bag." "Snitches get stitches." "Ah." "Ohh." "Does it hurt when I do this?" "Not so much." "Then I better keep doing it." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Whoa." "Hey, sexy." "Hey, jackass." "I was talking to him." " What do you want, Jake?" " I come in peace, man." "I hate seeing you laid up like this." "Then stop floating me hospital passes over the middle." "You know when I have to go up for 'em, I'm defenseless." "You know why they're hitting you like that." "I'm not taking money to play ball." "You think I'm doing it for the money?" "I don't need the cash." "I take pay-for-play so I don't rock the boat." "When you pull this boy scout act, no one knows what you're gonna do... if you're gonna blow the whistle or not." "Hey." "You're freaking out your teammates." " Screw those guys, man." " Look, I am coming to you as your friend here, Lew." "Take the envelopes." "Buy your girl some nice stuff, otherwise, they're gonna hurt you for real." "Ok, Jakey." "You are getting slime all over these nice, clean floors." "Let's go." "You know, you are just beautiful when you're bitchy." "Yes, I know." "You have to quit." "Not if I want a degree." "I need that scholarship, Alice." "You want a scholarship?" "Join the Hellcats." "What?" "What's so funny?" "Me?" "A cheerleader?" "Really?" "Oh, that's classic." "You're laughing." "Don't laugh at me." "I'll put on a tutu and become a ballerina." "I know ballerinas that could snap you like a twig." "Go, Lancer!" "Go, Lancer!" "I'm a funky dancer!" " Don't make fun of what I do." " Hey!" " I'm a wounded man here." " Sorry." "But you're acting like a jerk." "Work that skirt." "Work that butt." "Everybody... aah!" "Will you quit that?" "And it was only a matter of time before I came over to the dark side." "Ha ha ha!" "Hey, Lewis, where are the sharpies?" "Oh, uh, top shelf." "Out of your reach, I'll get 'em." "Thanks." "Now, where do you think Lewis would be without the Hellcats?" "College dropout?" "Eating through a tube, maybe?" "Ok, I get your point." "Thank you." "So, what made you break it off with Jake?" "I knew you'd be curious about that." "Jake made a mistake." "He forced me choose between loyalty to you and loyalty to him." "You're a Hellcat." "So, you won." "To be honest, Jake was never fit boyfriend material." "I had no idea who he really is." "Your teammates initial your shoes to remind you that we're always here to keep you in the air." "And these laces all contain threads from old uniforms." "I've even got a scrap of my old Memphis Christian uniform." "Oh, tell her that story." "Tell it." "Come on." "You only want me to tell it because you're in it." "You got that right." "Tell the story." "Come on!" "Come on." "Let's hear it." " Come on, tell it." " Ok." "Uh, I was going to Mem-Cris, still living with my parents." "Do I do you first?" "Or do you do me?" "I don't know about this." "What are we gonna tell mom?" "She'll totally freak when she sees our hair." "It won't matter." "She'll no longer have control over us." "Here." "Hold still." "Forget it." "I can't." "Char, this was your idea." "What happened to your freedom talk?" "I'm sorry, ok?" "I'm not as brave as you." "I'm not brave." "Believe me." "Uh, can I borrow that pen when you're done, please?" "Sure." "Have you cheered before?" "Nah." "My girlfriend talked me into it." "I'm in it for the scholarship." "Me, too." "I applied to transfer, but my parents wouldn't pay tuition to a school like Lancer." "What's wrong with Lancer?" "It's, um..." "My parents are snobs." "Anyhow, I wish you luck." "Cheerleading's the best." "You've got a big adventure ahead." "Heh heh heh." "What's the story with..." "Ida Lupino?" "Well, she's a transfer." "I wonder where from." "She looks familiar." "Your boyfriend is a disaster." "We have to find a spot for him." "What's blondie doing?" "Number 13!" "Get back in line!" "One sec." "I think she's directing him." "This is your last chance to show us what you've got, 16, number 13." "Good." "Setting up for pinwheel." "Whatever she said, it works!" "What is she?" "The Lummox whisperer?" " Mem-Chris!" " What?" "That girl is the captain of the Mem-Chris squad." "Sierra or Snookie or something." "I think you're right." "Number 13?" "A word, please." "In private?" "What's with the fake name and hair?" "I know." "Blonde's a bad look for me." "I figured if I could fool you long enough throughout the tryout, you'd evaluate me on my ability, not where I came from." "You're really serious about transferring to Lancer?" "I'm serious about everything." "Guys, this is a no-brainer." "We've got a chance to poach the captain of our biggest rival." "She left her own team in a lurch." "She'll do the same to us once God appears in a burning bush and orders her to go back." "Is that what you do here?" "Make fun of people's religious beliefs?" "It is not." "Please forgive Alice, She was raised by wolves." "Ok." "Give me a reason why we should put you onto the squad." "I'm hands-down one of the best flyers you saw out there today." "I am a winner by nature, as evidenced by the fact that my squad has been kicking your squad's butt on a regular basis." "And as for Alice's concern?" "Once I'm here, I'm never going back." "Come again?" "My parents are Evangelicals." "Memphis-Christian is my family's legacy school." "Leaving my squad behind means leaving everything... my parents, my sister, my old friends." " What about your dogs?" " Hush." "If it's going to cost you all that, then why do it?" "I had this theology class with this amazing, wonderful Professor." "He taught us about how" "Plato said people can't see the true world." "We see it reflected like a shadow on the wall of a cave." "He showed me that I've spent my whole life looking at the shadows." "And I'm not getting an accurate picture." "He sounds like quite the Professor, why would you leave him behind?" "He was fired for teaching us about Plato." "Please, this is the hardest thing I've ever done." "But I can't do it without a scholarship." "Do this, help me save my life, and I will help you win." "Do you want to win a championship ring or not?" "Thank you." "You won't regret it." "Wait... on the mat, you said something to Lewis, and he got better almost instantly." "What did you say?" ""Pretend I'm a football."" "Really?" "Wow." "That actually worked?" "It was the weirdest damn thing." "I mean, I was so busy trying to figure out what the hell she meant," "I forgot to be nervous." "I can't take this." "I'm going to jail." "I can't go to jail, Bill." " You're not going to jail." " Yeah?" "Well, you know what?" "The DVD wasn't in her dorm." "All right?" "So, it must be on her." "And she's surrounded by all her cheerleaders." "What if we can't get to her in time?" "We need to send her a clear message." "Bill..." "We have any friends inside the prison?" "I know someone we can call." "A lot of history in that Trophy Case... lots of stories." "So I've been hearing." "Tell me, did every person who ever decided to become a cheerleader start out miserable and messed-up?" "I was both." "Hey, ho!" "What's that I'm hearing?" "Hey, ho!" "A cheerleader is cheering!" "It's a great big event!" "It's Lloyd's retirement!" "Your office buddies love you!" "They're always thinkin' of you!" "So, give a cheer and say good-bye!" "Who's our favorite I.T. Guy?" "It's double l-o-y-d," "Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd!" "Whoo!" "You're really pretty." "Oh." "Thanks, Lloyd." "You're sweet." "Vanessa Lodge?" "Oh, my God." "Heidi?" "Heidi Raft?" "Heidi Kreisberg now." "Oh, my God, how long has it been?" "Class of '02." "Um, six years." " Yeah." "What are you doin'?" " Uh, this." "I started a fashion company." " And you?" " Career shifting... weighing my options." "Yeah." "I was a realtor for a while, which was fun, but now I'm really just looking for some new challenges." "Yeah." "This singing telegram thing is just for kicks." "In between moments... you know." "Oh, it brings me back to our days at Lancer." "Come on!" "Let's hear it for the..." " Hellcats!" " Hellcats!" "You two went to college together?" "Uh, yes." "We were on the same cheer squad." "What did you major in?" "Let's make some coffee." "Shall we?" "Ok." "I keep the good stuff in my office." "We had fun, didn't we?" "Maybe something a little stronger than coffee." "I'm 27." "I'm right there with you, V." "Yeah, but you have so much to show for it." "I got lucky." "That's all it was." "I loved to knit." "I did it, and it worked out." "Being a little modest, don't you think?" "Seriously." "I started selling sweaters, and one of my customers turned out to be a buyer for a big chain." "The idea that I somehow planned all this is wrong." "I mean, if there's any secret at all..." "It's that when the right time comes and you're in the right place, it helps if you're doing the right thing." "What's that?" "Follow your bliss." "Ok." "You did not just say, "follow your bliss."" "Hey, I majored in English." "If I can't rock the Joseph Campbell, my education was wasted." "Dig deep, Vanessa." "Find the thing that you love more than anything else." "You know, Campbell says if you follow your bliss, you'll put yourself on the kind of track that has been there all the while." "That's you, isn't it?" "In the photo?" "Yes." "I'm an alumni." "Vanessa." "Vanessa Lodge." "Derrick Altman." "I'm a sports doctor for the cheer squad." "Oh." "I'm applying for the open coach position." "Oh, good." "Yeah, good, we definitely need some new blood." "I miss cheerleading." "I hope this works out." "Well, if it does, we'll be working together." "Sounds like fun." "Indeed it does." "Next up is Vanessa Lodge." "It's an honor to meet you." "You still got it?" "Lord, I hope so." "It's been a while." "I'm glad you came back." "Me too." "We're ready for the Hellkitten." "It's time for the grand finale." "I'm not sure I like the sound of that." "Guys?" "Guys?" "You want to help me out here?" "Hey, yo, Travis." "Hey, guys, I don't want any trouble here." "All right?" "You need new lawyers." "What?" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Welcome to the final step of initiation... the suicide drop." "I can't see." "I'm not jumping off into nothing." "It's not nothing." "That's the point." "The squad will be there to catch you." "Go." "Get your butt up there." "Ok." "Bases?" "You guys are down there, right?" "Are you guys ready for me?" "Guys?" "Oh." "And Marti?" "Don't drop unless you mean it." "That was awesome." "Ahh." "Hellkitten no longer." "How does it feel?" "You succeeded." "I don't think I have it in me to destroy the Hellcats." "So, what are you going to do?" "I have no idea." "Hello?" "Yeah, this is she." "Yeah." "I'll be there as soon as I can." "Savannah, I need a ride." "Now." "Now." "I'll get my keys." "Travis, what happened?" "I..." "I don't want you representing me anymore." "Julian and Morgan are off the case, too." "What?" "Why?" "I don't want you getting hurt." "Travis, I can take care of myself." " Tell me who did this to you." " Just go." "Can you get out of here, please?" "That's the man you're trying to help?" "Yeah." "You have to save him." "There's a problem... a big one." "Tell me everything." "It has to do with and the Hellcats and Jake." "So you see, I can free Travis if I implicate Jake." "You should have seen this poor guy." "He was hurt really badly." "It's serious." " It will bring down football." " This is bigger than cheerleading." " And it will bring down the Hellcats." " That we all are one big family." "Our lives will be turned upside down." "I've been trying to make this decision on my own, but we're in this together." " We all decide..." " all of us." "That's it." "Ok." "Time's up." "Marti needs to hear this." "Knowing all that we stand to lose..." "Do we have her back?" "If we're going out..." "Might as well go big." "Let's burn the bastards down." "Hellcats." "Hellcats."