Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989) s02e17 Episode Script
A Life in Progress
My class assignment is to make a video on the essence of something.
What I've chosen is life, and the essence of life is O.
K O.
K It's right on the tip of my tongue.
The essence of life is Take it, Wanda.
Art.
Ehhh! Next? Shopping? Shopping? No.
No.
I need something deep, meaningful, important.
The essence of life is Sex! Sex! Oh, please.
The essence of life is sex, and the essence of sex is woman.
The essence of woman is Janine.
I'm not taking off a sock for your film.
I know what you're thinking.
This will be some cheap, tawdry, low-budget tour of your anatomy.
You left out sleazy.
Wanda, nakedness is not sleazy unless it's filmed correctly.
Dry up and die.
Ooh, I detect a little hostility here.
Vinnie, leave her alone.
She's having a rough time.
Not this "what will I do with my life" stuff again.
Well, excuse me if my identity crisis bores you, but I'm totally confused.
I can't decide on a college.
You guys already know what you want to be.
Me, I'm just one big empty question mark with bangs.
I thought you were going to list your skills.
I did.
All right.
Here goes.
"Works well with children, "ability to accessorize, good mall sense.
" This was supposed to be a list of your skills.
Right.
Janine, "good hair" is not a skill.
For me it is.
Oh, god, what am I going to do with my life? You know, Janine, acting is a noble profession.
If you think I'm going to appear sans clothes in something probably everyone in school will see You don't want anybody to know it's you? We can put a bag over your head.
What a pig.
It'll be tasteful.
Your choice, my goddess Paper or plastic.
If you had your own cloud, where would you fly to? Brentwood.
This is brentwood.
I mean if you could go anywhere in the world Australia, Japan Brentwood.
You're an L.
A.
kind of chick, aren't you? No.
Brentwood.
Are you sure this is your first cloud? Ah.
Jeff.
Hi, Dr.
canfield.
Grab a brush.
Thank you, but I'm not really dressed for it.
I'd like you to meet Hey, Vinnie.
How's the video going? Getting the essence of anything? How can I repay you? By not embracing me in public.
Jeff Moore is my hero.
He's the original street artist.
Well, come on.
I'll introduce you.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr.
Moore has painted murals for sites as diverse as the New York City subway and the Berlin wall, and now a mural for and with the children of eastman.
We are deeply honored.
Thank you.
Excuse me, Mr.
Moore.
What's your mural about? It's about throwing everything you got into life.
Here, Jeff.
Actually, it's not that deep.
It's for the kids, so that when they look out their room they see somebody looking back.
On that note, I declare this mural In progress.
Thank you.
Jerry, I, uh I think the board made a good choice.
No kidding.
Look at the smiles on those faces.
Jeff.
Hey, doogie.
I want you to meet my friend Vinnie delpino.
Oh.
The video artist.
Artist? Mr.
Moore, you're giving me the shivers.
Vinnie, please, it's Jeff.
He wants me to call him Jeff.
So, Jeff, I'm totally into what you're doing here Art in public places.
Give art back to the people.
Down with those gallery snobs.
Art should be available to everyone.
So true, Jeff.
So true.
In a sense, Jeff, you could say i use my video camera the same way you use your paintbrush To communicate in a nonelitist manner, Jeff, with the larger family of man And woman, Jeff.
The operative word is Jeff.
Excuse me Vinnie.
Alan, how come you're not painting? Come on.
I know you like to draw on walls.
Everybody likes to draw on walls, right? Yeah! Yeah! Why? Because we're not supposed to.
And that makes it Fun! Fun! Come on.
There was a time I'd never call my art fun.
It was my work.
But since I've gotten sick, I've had a major attitude adjustment.
Now I don't do anything that's not fun.
What do you mean, sick? I have aids.
O.
K.
That's the kaanapali hotel, Thursday the 8th.
Mm-hmm.
Thanks, Betty.
Everything's set for Hawaii.
Same hotel.
Same hotel.
Same room.
Same room.
Same piece of swordfish for dinner.
Well, not the same piece of swordfish I know.
Some people might consider it boring to go on the same vacation every year, I find it freeing.
No decisions, no surprises.
And that's exactly what you said last year and the year before.
Great.
I won't have to say it next year.
Everyone's heard about aids.
I never thought I'd meet anybody who had it.
Who has aids? Jeff Moore.
The artist who's doing the mural? Yeah.
I got to be honest, doog.
When he said he had aids, I thought, "yikes.
Am I going to catch it?" But then my intelligence kicked in.
I mean, I know the facts.
I've seen 60 minutes, 20/20, general hospital.
I know there's absolutely no way in the world.
It's an impossible thing for me to catch it.
Right? Right.
And Dr.
h, you concur? Vinnie, aids cannot be transmitted through casual contact.
Right.
But what exactly is it? It's a breakdown in the immune system that makes you vulnerable to life-threatening diseases.
How sick is he? He said he had pneumonia last year, and he hasn't had any symptoms since.
We just don't know.
Not knowing must be unbearable.
Jeff's got a great attitude.
Yeah.
I mean, check this out.
Before I got sick, I was a creature of habit, a meat and potatoes man.
I thought, "hell, I'll try raw sea urchin tomorrow," but now I think, "try it now.
" So here we are at this lovely i mean lovely cajun restaurant.
Thank you.
And the adventure for today is alligator.
Come on, Vinnie.
Grab a fork.
I got to operate the camera.
Bring it in with you.
I yi yi.
All right.
You don't happen to know if this is free-range alligator? Eat.
I don't wear chicken shoes, so I shouldn't eat alligator.
Come on.
Mangia, mangia.
Not bad.
I normally don't eat anything that leaves a slimy trail.
So we'll chew till midnight, then we go get a burger? Carpe diem.
Excuse me, Dr.
howser? Seize the day, Vincent.
Seize the day.
Morning, doog.
How's it going with Jeff? Last night we saw sumo wrestlers.
Talk about uncomfortable underwear.
Just thinking about it makes me walk funny.
What's going on? I'm packing up.
Why? When word got out that I have aids, the parents took their kids off the mural.
Your hospital canceled the project.
Jeff, you can't leave.
You have a right to finish this mural.
The board is caving in to a bunch of hysterical parents.
Wait a minute, i understand those parents.
They're not hysterical, they're afraid.
Listen, doogie, I'm scared, too.
I wake up scared, i go to bed scared.
If I'm lucky or busy enough during the day, I get a reprieve.
But the thing about fear is it comes from the heart, not the head.
Those parents believe they're protecting their kids, and you can't blame them for that.
I'm not blaming the parents, it's the board I'm going after.
This has got to be a violation of your civil rights.
You can sue them.
They're worried about negative publicity, let's call a press conference, and embarrass the hell out of them.
Listen, doogie, i respect your idealism and your passion, but I fight my battles with my art.
I can't believe you're not angry.
I am.
I am angry.
But when you got aids, anger's not gonna help you live any longer.
Thank you, doogie.
And if you really want to do something, don't punish people, educate them.
Why didn't you take a stand? I did.
It was a very difficult decision.
The board of directors feels the hospital can't afford the negative publicity.
Whether we like it or not, it's a legitimate concern.
Would you care to make a statement about dumping a great artist? This is like 60 minutes, huh? The guilty guy scurrying away.
Want to throw a jacket over your head? Mr.
delpino, put that camera down before I call security.
The American people have a right to know.
I know you're in here.
You can run, but you can't hide.
Come out and talk like a man! What do you want to say? I just want to say those are beautiful shoes.
Italian? You followed Dr.
canfield into the bathroom? Hey, I'm was after a story.
We're talking Gonzo journalism.
I've never seen anything like this before.
Of course not.
It's in the men's room.
I meant you're getting good at what you do.
I, on the other hand, am still wandering aimlessly in the career wasteland.
Oh.
Come here, my confused little bonbon.
Guys, I'm still up against a brick wall.
The board of directors won't budge.
They're more concerned with losing business than ethics.
They should be more concerned about people finding out how insensitive they are.
Maybe that's what people should find out.
Jeff didn't have to tell anyone that he had aids, but he put himself on the line because he believes in the truth.
I don't disagree.
Mr.
Moore's a very courageous man.
Why don't we stand by him, reinstate the mural? The parents pulled the children out of the project, not the hospital.
We know their fear is irrational.
Aids is only transmitted through the exchange of blood and bodily fluids.
Dr.
howser But not from hanging around somebody in a hallway.
We are concerned here with the public's perception of what is dangerous.
Isn't it our job as a medical institution to change that perception? Dr.
howser, it's our job to serve the entire community.
We can't serve anyone if we lose money and have to shut down.
I still say we have a moral obligation to do what we think is right.
He has a point.
We have been through this.
Now, we treat aids patients.
We have clinics.
We even publish pamphlets on prevention.
But he's right.
We're being hypocritical.
People are afraid of aids patients, and that fear is causing a terrible isolation.
We cannot be the standard bearer for every cause that comes along.
That's not what I'm saying.
Jerry, please.
Your position is duly noted.
Phil, I Have aids.
What did you say? I said I have aids.
It's the first time I've said those words to anyone but my wife.
Years ago, i had bypass surgery.
They gave me a transfusion.
That was before they were screening the blood supply.
That's how I got it.
Jerry.
Why didn't you tell us? Because Maureen and i were afraid that We'd lose you as friends.
We felt we had to hide.
Jerry.
We're here for you.
Jerry.
Jerry, you're not going to lose us.
You're not going to lose us.
Look, Vinnie.
We're back in business.
Everybody seems to be pretty happy.
Except for this tormented soul here.
If you don't mind, I'd prefer to have my nervous breakdown go unrecorded.
Come on.
Have fun with it.
Vinnie.
There, herr director.
Is that fun enough for you? Janine, it's not the sistine chapel.
But I can't decide what color to use.
That's up to you.
How do I know what color blouse she's wearing? Then i have to decide on her skin color.
Does she have a rash or a birthmark? Should i go away to college or stay home? If I get a job, what do i wear to work? Whoa, whoa.
Come here, little lady.
There you go.
What if it's a mistake? You just paint over it.
You can do that? Janine, it is o.
K.
To be uncertain About paint, about life.
You just don't let your uncertainty paralyze you.
Listen, do one thing.
You don't like it, do something else.
Travel, write a book, work for a cause.
Just don't waste time, for time is all we got.
You're sure you want to do that? I'm only kidding.
It's beautiful.
That was a great film.
Janine nude would have made a great film.
This got me an "a.
" I got a postcard from my parents today.
They said to say hi.
Colorado? What happened to your father's traditional Hawaiian holiday? What, don ho died, and there was no point in going back? They're just trying something new.
He took my mom white water rafting.
Your mother on a raft? Her blouse drenched with water, clinging to her body? I hope somebody's taking snapshots.
ÃÂ get out of here.
I'm glad I met Jeff.
Yeah.
Me, too, vin.
What I've chosen is life, and the essence of life is O.
K O.
K It's right on the tip of my tongue.
The essence of life is Take it, Wanda.
Art.
Ehhh! Next? Shopping? Shopping? No.
No.
I need something deep, meaningful, important.
The essence of life is Sex! Sex! Oh, please.
The essence of life is sex, and the essence of sex is woman.
The essence of woman is Janine.
I'm not taking off a sock for your film.
I know what you're thinking.
This will be some cheap, tawdry, low-budget tour of your anatomy.
You left out sleazy.
Wanda, nakedness is not sleazy unless it's filmed correctly.
Dry up and die.
Ooh, I detect a little hostility here.
Vinnie, leave her alone.
She's having a rough time.
Not this "what will I do with my life" stuff again.
Well, excuse me if my identity crisis bores you, but I'm totally confused.
I can't decide on a college.
You guys already know what you want to be.
Me, I'm just one big empty question mark with bangs.
I thought you were going to list your skills.
I did.
All right.
Here goes.
"Works well with children, "ability to accessorize, good mall sense.
" This was supposed to be a list of your skills.
Right.
Janine, "good hair" is not a skill.
For me it is.
Oh, god, what am I going to do with my life? You know, Janine, acting is a noble profession.
If you think I'm going to appear sans clothes in something probably everyone in school will see You don't want anybody to know it's you? We can put a bag over your head.
What a pig.
It'll be tasteful.
Your choice, my goddess Paper or plastic.
If you had your own cloud, where would you fly to? Brentwood.
This is brentwood.
I mean if you could go anywhere in the world Australia, Japan Brentwood.
You're an L.
A.
kind of chick, aren't you? No.
Brentwood.
Are you sure this is your first cloud? Ah.
Jeff.
Hi, Dr.
canfield.
Grab a brush.
Thank you, but I'm not really dressed for it.
I'd like you to meet Hey, Vinnie.
How's the video going? Getting the essence of anything? How can I repay you? By not embracing me in public.
Jeff Moore is my hero.
He's the original street artist.
Well, come on.
I'll introduce you.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr.
Moore has painted murals for sites as diverse as the New York City subway and the Berlin wall, and now a mural for and with the children of eastman.
We are deeply honored.
Thank you.
Excuse me, Mr.
Moore.
What's your mural about? It's about throwing everything you got into life.
Here, Jeff.
Actually, it's not that deep.
It's for the kids, so that when they look out their room they see somebody looking back.
On that note, I declare this mural In progress.
Thank you.
Jerry, I, uh I think the board made a good choice.
No kidding.
Look at the smiles on those faces.
Jeff.
Hey, doogie.
I want you to meet my friend Vinnie delpino.
Oh.
The video artist.
Artist? Mr.
Moore, you're giving me the shivers.
Vinnie, please, it's Jeff.
He wants me to call him Jeff.
So, Jeff, I'm totally into what you're doing here Art in public places.
Give art back to the people.
Down with those gallery snobs.
Art should be available to everyone.
So true, Jeff.
So true.
In a sense, Jeff, you could say i use my video camera the same way you use your paintbrush To communicate in a nonelitist manner, Jeff, with the larger family of man And woman, Jeff.
The operative word is Jeff.
Excuse me Vinnie.
Alan, how come you're not painting? Come on.
I know you like to draw on walls.
Everybody likes to draw on walls, right? Yeah! Yeah! Why? Because we're not supposed to.
And that makes it Fun! Fun! Come on.
There was a time I'd never call my art fun.
It was my work.
But since I've gotten sick, I've had a major attitude adjustment.
Now I don't do anything that's not fun.
What do you mean, sick? I have aids.
O.
K.
That's the kaanapali hotel, Thursday the 8th.
Mm-hmm.
Thanks, Betty.
Everything's set for Hawaii.
Same hotel.
Same hotel.
Same room.
Same room.
Same piece of swordfish for dinner.
Well, not the same piece of swordfish I know.
Some people might consider it boring to go on the same vacation every year, I find it freeing.
No decisions, no surprises.
And that's exactly what you said last year and the year before.
Great.
I won't have to say it next year.
Everyone's heard about aids.
I never thought I'd meet anybody who had it.
Who has aids? Jeff Moore.
The artist who's doing the mural? Yeah.
I got to be honest, doog.
When he said he had aids, I thought, "yikes.
Am I going to catch it?" But then my intelligence kicked in.
I mean, I know the facts.
I've seen 60 minutes, 20/20, general hospital.
I know there's absolutely no way in the world.
It's an impossible thing for me to catch it.
Right? Right.
And Dr.
h, you concur? Vinnie, aids cannot be transmitted through casual contact.
Right.
But what exactly is it? It's a breakdown in the immune system that makes you vulnerable to life-threatening diseases.
How sick is he? He said he had pneumonia last year, and he hasn't had any symptoms since.
We just don't know.
Not knowing must be unbearable.
Jeff's got a great attitude.
Yeah.
I mean, check this out.
Before I got sick, I was a creature of habit, a meat and potatoes man.
I thought, "hell, I'll try raw sea urchin tomorrow," but now I think, "try it now.
" So here we are at this lovely i mean lovely cajun restaurant.
Thank you.
And the adventure for today is alligator.
Come on, Vinnie.
Grab a fork.
I got to operate the camera.
Bring it in with you.
I yi yi.
All right.
You don't happen to know if this is free-range alligator? Eat.
I don't wear chicken shoes, so I shouldn't eat alligator.
Come on.
Mangia, mangia.
Not bad.
I normally don't eat anything that leaves a slimy trail.
So we'll chew till midnight, then we go get a burger? Carpe diem.
Excuse me, Dr.
howser? Seize the day, Vincent.
Seize the day.
Morning, doog.
How's it going with Jeff? Last night we saw sumo wrestlers.
Talk about uncomfortable underwear.
Just thinking about it makes me walk funny.
What's going on? I'm packing up.
Why? When word got out that I have aids, the parents took their kids off the mural.
Your hospital canceled the project.
Jeff, you can't leave.
You have a right to finish this mural.
The board is caving in to a bunch of hysterical parents.
Wait a minute, i understand those parents.
They're not hysterical, they're afraid.
Listen, doogie, I'm scared, too.
I wake up scared, i go to bed scared.
If I'm lucky or busy enough during the day, I get a reprieve.
But the thing about fear is it comes from the heart, not the head.
Those parents believe they're protecting their kids, and you can't blame them for that.
I'm not blaming the parents, it's the board I'm going after.
This has got to be a violation of your civil rights.
You can sue them.
They're worried about negative publicity, let's call a press conference, and embarrass the hell out of them.
Listen, doogie, i respect your idealism and your passion, but I fight my battles with my art.
I can't believe you're not angry.
I am.
I am angry.
But when you got aids, anger's not gonna help you live any longer.
Thank you, doogie.
And if you really want to do something, don't punish people, educate them.
Why didn't you take a stand? I did.
It was a very difficult decision.
The board of directors feels the hospital can't afford the negative publicity.
Whether we like it or not, it's a legitimate concern.
Would you care to make a statement about dumping a great artist? This is like 60 minutes, huh? The guilty guy scurrying away.
Want to throw a jacket over your head? Mr.
delpino, put that camera down before I call security.
The American people have a right to know.
I know you're in here.
You can run, but you can't hide.
Come out and talk like a man! What do you want to say? I just want to say those are beautiful shoes.
Italian? You followed Dr.
canfield into the bathroom? Hey, I'm was after a story.
We're talking Gonzo journalism.
I've never seen anything like this before.
Of course not.
It's in the men's room.
I meant you're getting good at what you do.
I, on the other hand, am still wandering aimlessly in the career wasteland.
Oh.
Come here, my confused little bonbon.
Guys, I'm still up against a brick wall.
The board of directors won't budge.
They're more concerned with losing business than ethics.
They should be more concerned about people finding out how insensitive they are.
Maybe that's what people should find out.
Jeff didn't have to tell anyone that he had aids, but he put himself on the line because he believes in the truth.
I don't disagree.
Mr.
Moore's a very courageous man.
Why don't we stand by him, reinstate the mural? The parents pulled the children out of the project, not the hospital.
We know their fear is irrational.
Aids is only transmitted through the exchange of blood and bodily fluids.
Dr.
howser But not from hanging around somebody in a hallway.
We are concerned here with the public's perception of what is dangerous.
Isn't it our job as a medical institution to change that perception? Dr.
howser, it's our job to serve the entire community.
We can't serve anyone if we lose money and have to shut down.
I still say we have a moral obligation to do what we think is right.
He has a point.
We have been through this.
Now, we treat aids patients.
We have clinics.
We even publish pamphlets on prevention.
But he's right.
We're being hypocritical.
People are afraid of aids patients, and that fear is causing a terrible isolation.
We cannot be the standard bearer for every cause that comes along.
That's not what I'm saying.
Jerry, please.
Your position is duly noted.
Phil, I Have aids.
What did you say? I said I have aids.
It's the first time I've said those words to anyone but my wife.
Years ago, i had bypass surgery.
They gave me a transfusion.
That was before they were screening the blood supply.
That's how I got it.
Jerry.
Why didn't you tell us? Because Maureen and i were afraid that We'd lose you as friends.
We felt we had to hide.
Jerry.
We're here for you.
Jerry.
Jerry, you're not going to lose us.
You're not going to lose us.
Look, Vinnie.
We're back in business.
Everybody seems to be pretty happy.
Except for this tormented soul here.
If you don't mind, I'd prefer to have my nervous breakdown go unrecorded.
Come on.
Have fun with it.
Vinnie.
There, herr director.
Is that fun enough for you? Janine, it's not the sistine chapel.
But I can't decide what color to use.
That's up to you.
How do I know what color blouse she's wearing? Then i have to decide on her skin color.
Does she have a rash or a birthmark? Should i go away to college or stay home? If I get a job, what do i wear to work? Whoa, whoa.
Come here, little lady.
There you go.
What if it's a mistake? You just paint over it.
You can do that? Janine, it is o.
K.
To be uncertain About paint, about life.
You just don't let your uncertainty paralyze you.
Listen, do one thing.
You don't like it, do something else.
Travel, write a book, work for a cause.
Just don't waste time, for time is all we got.
You're sure you want to do that? I'm only kidding.
It's beautiful.
That was a great film.
Janine nude would have made a great film.
This got me an "a.
" I got a postcard from my parents today.
They said to say hi.
Colorado? What happened to your father's traditional Hawaiian holiday? What, don ho died, and there was no point in going back? They're just trying something new.
He took my mom white water rafting.
Your mother on a raft? Her blouse drenched with water, clinging to her body? I hope somebody's taking snapshots.
ÃÂ get out of here.
I'm glad I met Jeff.
Yeah.
Me, too, vin.