The Whole Lot

Description

It\'s 1984 and \"The Whole Lot\" talk show is suffering from low ratings. Abe, the producer, knows that Lottie Mantilla, the host, is working on something big that will give them a boost in viewership, so when he hears that Angie, a representative of the network, is on her to the set from upstairs he sets out to intercept her. Angie brings news that the head of the network wants to see the show gain 30 viewership points, but Abe negotiates it down to a 10 point jump instead. Lottie arrives and informs them that she has managed to get both primary candidates for the Sodom and Gomorrah parties to sit down together on the show to discuss their policies, the first time they\'ve agreed to do so. The date is set is for October 19th, just under a month before the election.The stage is set and the cameras are rolling. Growing civil unrest is making Angie nervous. She wants to kill the show but Lottie and Abe convince her to let it go ahead. Angie, knowing Lottie\'s forthright presenting style, urges her to focus on showing the nation the positive policies of the two parties and not highlight the various scandals of the candidates themselves. Lottie keeps her intentions ambiguous as applause rings across the set and Bira (Sodom) and Birsha (Gomorrah) step out waving. After taking their seats, Lottie launches right in. She asks both candidates about their values and after getting party lines, uses masterful interviewing to draw out more individual beliefs. She contrasts these personal views with their reported misdeeds, like adultery, discrimination and sexual misconduct. It\'s a tactic they\'re ready for and, at first, they revel in the debate and seeing their political rival lambasted but when Lottie begins to outmanoeuvre them, they soon rally together and turn on her, which proves her point that both men are actually the same. Neither representing the ideologies of their party, but rather interpreting these respective political values to enact their own personal stigmas under the guise of policy. With Bira and Birsha\'s careers destroyed and their respective parties scrambling for new candidates, Lottie prepares to accept her punishment. However, she is surprised to learn that Angie has defended her and the network has decided to save her show. Angie tells an ecstatic Abe and Lottie that not only did the show manage to diffuse social tensions, it also got a 45 point share, earning more viewers that the olympics earlier in the year. Lottie thanks Angie and teases at another big show she has planned. Angie wonders if it\'s an interview with the candidate from the independent party, Elam, but Lottie coyly replies that she\'s aiming her sights higher, promising divine rights, sperm stealing and some explosive incest allegations. Angie is left to worry that the corruption Lottie believed so easy to expose and expunge may actually be something more systemic to the human condition itself.

Biblical Connection

In a year of elections and civil unrest, we are a populace that has never been more divided with two sides both screaming they are right atop a tree that has grown from a seed that was wrong. We are pitted against each other to the benefit of those who seek only some form of personal gain. Naturally, amongst all this, I found inspiration in the Sodom and Gomorrah story. I wanted to make this story feel more intimate though and wondered how I could drill down this broad human experience. This is where I got the idea to frame it around a talk show that everyone tunes into with an audience made up from a cross section of people. Next, I wanted two characters that could show two sides of the same wickedness and represent a vast majority, this is where an election and politics came in. Lot in the bible story acts as the sort of everyman hero, which is where Lottie was born. The protagonist that gets to say what we\'re all thinking. The time period obviously has a social nod with the year, but also allows it to feel more heightened behind a historic lens.