Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989) s04e01 Episode Script
There's a Riot Going On
I don't know.
The most remarkable thing about that day was how unremarkable that day was.
I guess history rarely gives you a warning when it's about to happen.
I remember hanging around the kitchen that afternoon, shooting the breeze with my family.
My best friend had come by to share one of his many life-altering decisions A 1958 two-tone Nash rambler.
Black and flamingo, just sitting there waiting to belong to me.
One owner A dear little old lady who loved this car like the child she never had.
It's an amazing car.
The only amazing thing is people drove it for so many years.
Will you do something about your son's limited horizons? Explain the beauty of the Nash rambler.
The beauty of it is the seats fold back into a bed.
Quelle surprise.
What a handy feature.
I dated a boy with a Nash rambler.
His name was Tony "the wanderer" viscotti.
Is there a point to this conversation? I think I'll go and turn the thermostat down.
Actually, there is, Dr.
h.
I'm offering you the chance to get in on a solid investment opportunity.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in these troubled economic times, don't investors tell you to invest In antiques, collectibles, classic cars? Thanks for the offer, but I have a very mature portfolio.
There is no need to include a mobile bedroom.
Well, that settles it.
I'm gonna have to wheedle the ninny down to 2 grand.
I'll pick you up at 7:00, we'll take it for a test drive.
You're not going to pull another emergency on me this time.
Don't worry.
Wednesdays are always slow.
We interrupt our regular programming to go live to simi valley where the jury's reached a verdict in the Rodney king case.
Sure, everyone had an opinion.
I just wish I hadn't expressed mine so quickly.
Free at last.
Free at last.
Thank god almighty.
Ray, I know how you feel.
In what universe? Just because I'm white doesn't mean I can't recognize injustice.
Take Mrs.
drew to X-ray.
People always say "trust the system.
" I say, "which system?" There's the right way, and there's the white way.
Now, wait a minute.
What if the prosecution made a mistake? If they'd gone for excessive force instead of criminal assault What's the difference? Intent is very hard to prove.
Mr.
sisman.
You look much better today.
If people can't get justice in the courts, they'll get it in the streets.
Remember '65, the watts riots? No, I don't, and neither do you.
That was 27 years ago.
Did you hear the news? Not guilty.
No, I'm talking about south central.
People are being dragged from their cars.
Nurse spaulding, to the E.
R.
, stat.
Dr.
rauseo, to the E.
R.
, stat.
I better call home.
Dr.
howser to the E.
R.
, stat.
Dr.
lebeaux to the E.
R.
, stat.
Out of the way.
Coming through! Coming through! We're directly overthe intersection right now.
There's not a police car or fire engine in sight What's the matter? Take a fall? Yeah, after I got hit in the head with a brick.
I'm putting a fire out, and they're throwing crap at me.
Make any sense to you? Get some Lidocaine and a suture setup.
We'll need some more sterile 4x4s.
Let's order x-rays.
Someone will be with you soon.
Come on, now.
Keep ahold of the rope.
Come on.
Keep Come on, James! Don't lag behind.
What's the matter? I have a day-care center.
A fire spread to my back room.
I tried to put it out.
It's blistering.
If you could dress it, I can tell their parents where they are.
We better have a doctor look at it.
- How long? - It could be a while.
But what about the kids? The medical staff, their skills honed by countless emergencies, move smoothly into action.
The atmosphere is chaos, but underneath A bedrock of calm.
We're going to mass casualty plan level two.
Notify the page operator, please.
All elective surgery is cancelled.
Ambulatory patents will be sent to student health.
Everybody stays till the job is done.
That includes your humble reporter.
Mr.
delpino, what are you doing here? I'm recording history.
Do it somewhere else.
Please be advised we're at mc level two.
Vinnie, for god's sake! Act like I'm not here.
That would be easier if you weren't here.
Are you a fireman? This is gold! What's it feel like being close to the flames? Did he get burned, too? What are you doing? Curly, wh-who are these kids? Their teacher has a second-degree burn.
I'm sorry.
I'll get them out of your way.
Absolutely not.
You're in no condition to be chasing kids.
Vinnie, why don't you make yourself useful? Take these kids up to the pediatric lounge.
What? There's plenty of stuff to keep them occupied.
Doog, I'm an auteur, not a wet nurse.
Vinnie, look around! All right, anybody shorter than I am, follow me.
It's all right.
Go with the little man.
- Bye.
- Hold onto the rope.
And stay together.
All right, come on.
Come on, hurry up.
Where are we going? I don't know.
It's time for some introductions.
My name is Vincent delpino, and I'm your guardian for the next few hours.
Are you a grownup? Of course I'm a grownup! Look right here.
Stubble.
Are you a doctor? - You listen to doctors? - Yeah.
Then I'm a doctor.
How come you don't wear a white coat? - Yeah! - White coats don't mean anything.
There's lots of doctors don't wear white coats.
Like who? Doctor j.
Dr.
pepper.
Dr.
Joyce brothers.
The list is too long.
I want to go to the bathroom.
I want to go home.
Hey, don't start! Where we're going is the fifth floor.
It's the best floor in the hospital.
Do we have to get shots? I don't know.
I left my shot bag at home.
Hang onto the rope.
O.
K.
O.
K.
, come on.
Stay close.
Don't anybody let go of the rope.
Whatever you do, hang onto that rope.
Sh Let go of the rope! No, you hang onto the rope.
Let go of the rope! I'll be killed.
Everybody hold hands and follow me! Come on! Watch your step! Hold on! Watch your step! Downstairs.
I got the rope! Hit the stairs! Hi, James.
You're in trouble now.
You'll have to wait your turn.
I've waited two hours! We're a little overworked.
Look, I hurt myself working Not looting, rioting, and acting like an animal.
Let them kill each other if they want to.
Are you listening to me? Yeah, and I can't believe what I'm hearing.
I work at a car wash.
My boss is black, the workers are black I never had trouble before.
Got caught in a war zone, huh? I was just walking home from school.
Ray, take his pants off and get some clean towels.
I'll be back to suture the wound.
Walkman? Watches? Do a little shopping on the way home? They got some great bargains out there.
Too bad I have to work.
You can have the walkman.
I can get more.
What do you think you're doing? You're robbing your own people.
They aren't my people.
They're Korean stores.
It's your community! If it's my community, why don't we own any stores or businesses? How come all the money goes someplace else? Look, this was a long time coming, man.
You beat people down long enough, and they're going to fight back.
You're not fighting back, you're just stealing.
Look Who do you think is getting hurt? See any millionaires? Do you see any jurors? Raymond.
Get smart, man.
You're better than this.
Raymond! Here it comes.
Don't lecture the patients.
I can't turn off my feelings.
You have to, or you can't focus.
It's easier to focus when you don't have to run to a pay phone to see if it's your home burning down.
Dr.
howser, over here! "Don't make laugh," said mister rat.
"You're old and dumb and way too fat.
" "Oh, sure," said Anne, "and you're a catch.
With dirty scabs and teeth to match.
" Read it again! Hey, put that down.
That's not a toy, kid.
That's my life.
I'm not a violent person, but I got a copy of "cat in the hat.
" I'm not afraid to use it.
Oh, I'm really scared.
Hey, hey, come on.
Look, look.
That's not a toy, either, o.
K.
? The toys are the bright plastic things.
Here.
Play with this fairy magic wand.
Aah! Ha ha ha ha! Sit down.
Everybody, sit down! Sit on the rug here.
All right.
That everybody? O.
K.
Who wants to watch TV? I'm only allowed to watch TV after supper.
Well, here.
Supper.
Now we're watching it.
All right.
Fire as far as the eye can see.
O.
K.
, not for kiddies.
Equally creepy.
What's on fire? Nothing.
It's glare from the sun.
Where's lambchop when you need him? Lambchop's a girl.
Shut up! All right All right.
Let's play a game.
Yeah.
Hide and seek.
No.
A game you can play sitting still.
Um I know! The movie game.
Each person says their favorite line from a movie.
The others have to guess which movie it's from.
I'll go first.
You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Huh? Taxi driver, Robert deniro! You talkin' to me? Your turn.
I don't know any movies.
Beauty and the beast? Home alone? Aah! You're scaring me! Oh, god.
Here.
Please, don't cry.
Don't cry.
There, there, now.
Don't cry.
Why are there fires on TV? Some buildings seem to have spontaneously combusted.
There was a fire next to our school.
People were throwing things and breaking windows.
I heard shooting.
It's Los Angeles.
It's a big melting pot.
Traffic's bad, tempers flare What's a riot? My dad said there'd be a riot 'cause some cops were bad.
All right.
I'm going to tell you the whole thing.
But it's complicated, so pay attention.
Now, it all started with this guy called Rodney king I'm going to have to go back further than this.
Martin Luther King.
No No O.
K Once upon a time, there was this guy called kunta kinte All right? Who came to America on ed asner's slave ship.
Oh, please! Somebody help me! I was in the driveway, and there was all this trouble at the liquor store.
People started shooting I didn't know I was hit till I saw the blood.
When's your baby due? Two weeks.
A fetal monitor.
Hurry.
Right.
Alert o.
B.
And get the on-call doctor on the phone.
Don't move.
My baby! I need someone to put pressure on this wound while I talk to o.
B.
Damn it! I've got a pregnant woman here! I can do it.
Go get some gloves on.
Hurry.
Doctor, o.
B.
Is on the phone! All right.
Press down right here Firmly Until I say stop.
O.
K.
? O.
K.
Can you save my baby? Sure he can.
I been watching this doctor.
He's real good.
You got any names picked out? Any available EMT intern report to E.
R.
So when the verdict came back innocent, a lot of people thought that was wrong.
Why? Well, it seemed like there was a certain set of rules for white people and a certain set for everyone else.
So they got mad and started breaking things.
Did they mean to do it? My mom says if you break something on purpose, that's bad.
When people get mad, they don't think.
Which doesn't mean you can go breaking things just 'cause you don't think about it.
Then the people breaking things are bad? Well Well, yeah.
Well, no.
Well Oh, thank god.
Where are the other kids? Did their parents come? Yeah, yeah.
They came.
Now if you could take Ted koppel off my hands Where's my mom? Your mom's going to be busy tonight.
You're coming with me.
How could she be busy? She's a policewoman.
Ahh.
Badge number 61275.
You better be good, because when she gets home, she's going to be very tired.
Thanks a lot, Vinnie.
I don't know how much help I was.
They kept asking questions I couldn't answer.
You kept them all safe.
Come on, say goodbye, James.
Goodbye, Dr.
delpino.
Good luck with your brain surgery.
Such imaginations.
Hey, doc.
I thought I released you.
What's the story? She going to make it? We were lucky.
What about the baby? The bullet hit the baby in the elbow.
Oh, man.
We were able to deliver him by caesarean, suture him, and put him on intravenous antibiotics.
He's going to be o.
K.
? The kid was shot before he was even born.
Dr.
stone to icu.
Dr.
stone to icu, please.
Yeah, your old man's kind of tired.
I just worked 36 hours straight.
But I'm fine.
Honest.
I love you, too.
It's calming down.
Yeah, I can come home now.
No, mom.
I'm not too tired to drive.
Yes, I'll wear my seat belt.
Dad, I'm not moving back to Portland.
This is my home.
It's not going to be like this forever.
As this live picture shows.
As morning breaks, a tentative calm has settled over the city of angels.
No new fires were reported in the last hour.
Officials are hopeful the violence has run its course.
Aren't you going to call home? Your parents must be worried, too.
My father's a doctor.
I figured he'd understand.
Yeah But your mother's not.
Come on.
I'll take you home.
As a doctor, I'm trained to keep an emotional distance, otherwise I can't do my job.
But what I learned from Raymond that night is some things are so overwhelming that you have to get involved.
Not as a professional On a basic level.
I guess it's that old John donne thing.
Meaning what? You know, "no man is an island, entire of itself.
"I'm involved in mankind.
"Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls It tolls for thee.
" Of course, that bell tolls louder for some people.
Excuse me.
I got to get back to work.
Thank you, Dr.
howser.
So there it is Rebuilding efforts are continuing all around the city with the help of these volunteers.
A city in transition.
ÃÂ a city of hope.
The most remarkable thing about that day was how unremarkable that day was.
I guess history rarely gives you a warning when it's about to happen.
I remember hanging around the kitchen that afternoon, shooting the breeze with my family.
My best friend had come by to share one of his many life-altering decisions A 1958 two-tone Nash rambler.
Black and flamingo, just sitting there waiting to belong to me.
One owner A dear little old lady who loved this car like the child she never had.
It's an amazing car.
The only amazing thing is people drove it for so many years.
Will you do something about your son's limited horizons? Explain the beauty of the Nash rambler.
The beauty of it is the seats fold back into a bed.
Quelle surprise.
What a handy feature.
I dated a boy with a Nash rambler.
His name was Tony "the wanderer" viscotti.
Is there a point to this conversation? I think I'll go and turn the thermostat down.
Actually, there is, Dr.
h.
I'm offering you the chance to get in on a solid investment opportunity.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in these troubled economic times, don't investors tell you to invest In antiques, collectibles, classic cars? Thanks for the offer, but I have a very mature portfolio.
There is no need to include a mobile bedroom.
Well, that settles it.
I'm gonna have to wheedle the ninny down to 2 grand.
I'll pick you up at 7:00, we'll take it for a test drive.
You're not going to pull another emergency on me this time.
Don't worry.
Wednesdays are always slow.
We interrupt our regular programming to go live to simi valley where the jury's reached a verdict in the Rodney king case.
Sure, everyone had an opinion.
I just wish I hadn't expressed mine so quickly.
Free at last.
Free at last.
Thank god almighty.
Ray, I know how you feel.
In what universe? Just because I'm white doesn't mean I can't recognize injustice.
Take Mrs.
drew to X-ray.
People always say "trust the system.
" I say, "which system?" There's the right way, and there's the white way.
Now, wait a minute.
What if the prosecution made a mistake? If they'd gone for excessive force instead of criminal assault What's the difference? Intent is very hard to prove.
Mr.
sisman.
You look much better today.
If people can't get justice in the courts, they'll get it in the streets.
Remember '65, the watts riots? No, I don't, and neither do you.
That was 27 years ago.
Did you hear the news? Not guilty.
No, I'm talking about south central.
People are being dragged from their cars.
Nurse spaulding, to the E.
R.
, stat.
Dr.
rauseo, to the E.
R.
, stat.
I better call home.
Dr.
howser to the E.
R.
, stat.
Dr.
lebeaux to the E.
R.
, stat.
Out of the way.
Coming through! Coming through! We're directly overthe intersection right now.
There's not a police car or fire engine in sight What's the matter? Take a fall? Yeah, after I got hit in the head with a brick.
I'm putting a fire out, and they're throwing crap at me.
Make any sense to you? Get some Lidocaine and a suture setup.
We'll need some more sterile 4x4s.
Let's order x-rays.
Someone will be with you soon.
Come on, now.
Keep ahold of the rope.
Come on.
Keep Come on, James! Don't lag behind.
What's the matter? I have a day-care center.
A fire spread to my back room.
I tried to put it out.
It's blistering.
If you could dress it, I can tell their parents where they are.
We better have a doctor look at it.
- How long? - It could be a while.
But what about the kids? The medical staff, their skills honed by countless emergencies, move smoothly into action.
The atmosphere is chaos, but underneath A bedrock of calm.
We're going to mass casualty plan level two.
Notify the page operator, please.
All elective surgery is cancelled.
Ambulatory patents will be sent to student health.
Everybody stays till the job is done.
That includes your humble reporter.
Mr.
delpino, what are you doing here? I'm recording history.
Do it somewhere else.
Please be advised we're at mc level two.
Vinnie, for god's sake! Act like I'm not here.
That would be easier if you weren't here.
Are you a fireman? This is gold! What's it feel like being close to the flames? Did he get burned, too? What are you doing? Curly, wh-who are these kids? Their teacher has a second-degree burn.
I'm sorry.
I'll get them out of your way.
Absolutely not.
You're in no condition to be chasing kids.
Vinnie, why don't you make yourself useful? Take these kids up to the pediatric lounge.
What? There's plenty of stuff to keep them occupied.
Doog, I'm an auteur, not a wet nurse.
Vinnie, look around! All right, anybody shorter than I am, follow me.
It's all right.
Go with the little man.
- Bye.
- Hold onto the rope.
And stay together.
All right, come on.
Come on, hurry up.
Where are we going? I don't know.
It's time for some introductions.
My name is Vincent delpino, and I'm your guardian for the next few hours.
Are you a grownup? Of course I'm a grownup! Look right here.
Stubble.
Are you a doctor? - You listen to doctors? - Yeah.
Then I'm a doctor.
How come you don't wear a white coat? - Yeah! - White coats don't mean anything.
There's lots of doctors don't wear white coats.
Like who? Doctor j.
Dr.
pepper.
Dr.
Joyce brothers.
The list is too long.
I want to go to the bathroom.
I want to go home.
Hey, don't start! Where we're going is the fifth floor.
It's the best floor in the hospital.
Do we have to get shots? I don't know.
I left my shot bag at home.
Hang onto the rope.
O.
K.
O.
K.
, come on.
Stay close.
Don't anybody let go of the rope.
Whatever you do, hang onto that rope.
Sh Let go of the rope! No, you hang onto the rope.
Let go of the rope! I'll be killed.
Everybody hold hands and follow me! Come on! Watch your step! Hold on! Watch your step! Downstairs.
I got the rope! Hit the stairs! Hi, James.
You're in trouble now.
You'll have to wait your turn.
I've waited two hours! We're a little overworked.
Look, I hurt myself working Not looting, rioting, and acting like an animal.
Let them kill each other if they want to.
Are you listening to me? Yeah, and I can't believe what I'm hearing.
I work at a car wash.
My boss is black, the workers are black I never had trouble before.
Got caught in a war zone, huh? I was just walking home from school.
Ray, take his pants off and get some clean towels.
I'll be back to suture the wound.
Walkman? Watches? Do a little shopping on the way home? They got some great bargains out there.
Too bad I have to work.
You can have the walkman.
I can get more.
What do you think you're doing? You're robbing your own people.
They aren't my people.
They're Korean stores.
It's your community! If it's my community, why don't we own any stores or businesses? How come all the money goes someplace else? Look, this was a long time coming, man.
You beat people down long enough, and they're going to fight back.
You're not fighting back, you're just stealing.
Look Who do you think is getting hurt? See any millionaires? Do you see any jurors? Raymond.
Get smart, man.
You're better than this.
Raymond! Here it comes.
Don't lecture the patients.
I can't turn off my feelings.
You have to, or you can't focus.
It's easier to focus when you don't have to run to a pay phone to see if it's your home burning down.
Dr.
howser, over here! "Don't make laugh," said mister rat.
"You're old and dumb and way too fat.
" "Oh, sure," said Anne, "and you're a catch.
With dirty scabs and teeth to match.
" Read it again! Hey, put that down.
That's not a toy, kid.
That's my life.
I'm not a violent person, but I got a copy of "cat in the hat.
" I'm not afraid to use it.
Oh, I'm really scared.
Hey, hey, come on.
Look, look.
That's not a toy, either, o.
K.
? The toys are the bright plastic things.
Here.
Play with this fairy magic wand.
Aah! Ha ha ha ha! Sit down.
Everybody, sit down! Sit on the rug here.
All right.
That everybody? O.
K.
Who wants to watch TV? I'm only allowed to watch TV after supper.
Well, here.
Supper.
Now we're watching it.
All right.
Fire as far as the eye can see.
O.
K.
, not for kiddies.
Equally creepy.
What's on fire? Nothing.
It's glare from the sun.
Where's lambchop when you need him? Lambchop's a girl.
Shut up! All right All right.
Let's play a game.
Yeah.
Hide and seek.
No.
A game you can play sitting still.
Um I know! The movie game.
Each person says their favorite line from a movie.
The others have to guess which movie it's from.
I'll go first.
You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Huh? Taxi driver, Robert deniro! You talkin' to me? Your turn.
I don't know any movies.
Beauty and the beast? Home alone? Aah! You're scaring me! Oh, god.
Here.
Please, don't cry.
Don't cry.
There, there, now.
Don't cry.
Why are there fires on TV? Some buildings seem to have spontaneously combusted.
There was a fire next to our school.
People were throwing things and breaking windows.
I heard shooting.
It's Los Angeles.
It's a big melting pot.
Traffic's bad, tempers flare What's a riot? My dad said there'd be a riot 'cause some cops were bad.
All right.
I'm going to tell you the whole thing.
But it's complicated, so pay attention.
Now, it all started with this guy called Rodney king I'm going to have to go back further than this.
Martin Luther King.
No No O.
K Once upon a time, there was this guy called kunta kinte All right? Who came to America on ed asner's slave ship.
Oh, please! Somebody help me! I was in the driveway, and there was all this trouble at the liquor store.
People started shooting I didn't know I was hit till I saw the blood.
When's your baby due? Two weeks.
A fetal monitor.
Hurry.
Right.
Alert o.
B.
And get the on-call doctor on the phone.
Don't move.
My baby! I need someone to put pressure on this wound while I talk to o.
B.
Damn it! I've got a pregnant woman here! I can do it.
Go get some gloves on.
Hurry.
Doctor, o.
B.
Is on the phone! All right.
Press down right here Firmly Until I say stop.
O.
K.
? O.
K.
Can you save my baby? Sure he can.
I been watching this doctor.
He's real good.
You got any names picked out? Any available EMT intern report to E.
R.
So when the verdict came back innocent, a lot of people thought that was wrong.
Why? Well, it seemed like there was a certain set of rules for white people and a certain set for everyone else.
So they got mad and started breaking things.
Did they mean to do it? My mom says if you break something on purpose, that's bad.
When people get mad, they don't think.
Which doesn't mean you can go breaking things just 'cause you don't think about it.
Then the people breaking things are bad? Well Well, yeah.
Well, no.
Well Oh, thank god.
Where are the other kids? Did their parents come? Yeah, yeah.
They came.
Now if you could take Ted koppel off my hands Where's my mom? Your mom's going to be busy tonight.
You're coming with me.
How could she be busy? She's a policewoman.
Ahh.
Badge number 61275.
You better be good, because when she gets home, she's going to be very tired.
Thanks a lot, Vinnie.
I don't know how much help I was.
They kept asking questions I couldn't answer.
You kept them all safe.
Come on, say goodbye, James.
Goodbye, Dr.
delpino.
Good luck with your brain surgery.
Such imaginations.
Hey, doc.
I thought I released you.
What's the story? She going to make it? We were lucky.
What about the baby? The bullet hit the baby in the elbow.
Oh, man.
We were able to deliver him by caesarean, suture him, and put him on intravenous antibiotics.
He's going to be o.
K.
? The kid was shot before he was even born.
Dr.
stone to icu.
Dr.
stone to icu, please.
Yeah, your old man's kind of tired.
I just worked 36 hours straight.
But I'm fine.
Honest.
I love you, too.
It's calming down.
Yeah, I can come home now.
No, mom.
I'm not too tired to drive.
Yes, I'll wear my seat belt.
Dad, I'm not moving back to Portland.
This is my home.
It's not going to be like this forever.
As this live picture shows.
As morning breaks, a tentative calm has settled over the city of angels.
No new fires were reported in the last hour.
Officials are hopeful the violence has run its course.
Aren't you going to call home? Your parents must be worried, too.
My father's a doctor.
I figured he'd understand.
Yeah But your mother's not.
Come on.
I'll take you home.
As a doctor, I'm trained to keep an emotional distance, otherwise I can't do my job.
But what I learned from Raymond that night is some things are so overwhelming that you have to get involved.
Not as a professional On a basic level.
I guess it's that old John donne thing.
Meaning what? You know, "no man is an island, entire of itself.
"I'm involved in mankind.
"Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls It tolls for thee.
" Of course, that bell tolls louder for some people.
Excuse me.
I got to get back to work.
Thank you, Dr.
howser.
So there it is Rebuilding efforts are continuing all around the city with the help of these volunteers.
A city in transition.
ÃÂ a city of hope.