The Production GuideScript To Screen: Force Of Life
by Martin Willey
The Production GuideThe original 15th May script for Force Of Life has some differences in the death of Dominix. Zoref feels weak and cold. Dominix gets him a coffee, but as Zoref takes it, the coffee freezes.
ZOREF reaches out with shaking hands and takes the
steaming cup of coffee. His hands tremble as he moves
it to his mouth.
ZOREF suddenly reacts.
ZOREF's P.O.V.
The coffee has frozen into a hard brown ball. ZOREF
drops it.
ON DOMINIX
He looks fearfully at ZOREF.
ZOREF
(shaking violently)
Please help me
ZOREF's eyes look wildly about, then fix on the nuclear
furnace.
ZOREF
I'm cold ...!
ZOREF suddenly dashes over to the nuclear furnace and
starts to punch a sequence out on the panel which
controls the locking mechanism of the furnace. It is
heavily marked with "DANGER" etc.
ON DOMINIX
He reacts in alarm.
DOMINIX
Anton...
ON ZOREF
He pays no heed to DOMINIX. He is feverishly knocking
out the combination to the locking mechanism. A yellow light
above the panel changes to red, as the sequence
nears completion.
DOMINIX runs over and puts his hands on ZOREF ready to
tear him away. Suddenly we see DOMINIX begin to shudder,
his face go chalk white, and powdered frost appears on
his face and body.
ON ZOREF
He stops what he is doing. His shivering subsides. He
is suddenly all right. He turns round and reacts in shock.
ZOREF'S P.O.V.
DOMINIX is lying on the floor, his body stiff and covered
with frost, his face frozen in a mask of death.
ZOREF backs away, unable to believe what he is seeing.
He shakes his head. Then he turns and runs from the
generating area.
Zoref trying to open the nuclear furnace is exactly what happens at the climax of the episode. The May 21st script drops this heavy-handed foreshadowing, in favour of what we see in the final episode.
ZOREF staggers and almost falls.
DOMINIX reaches out involuntarily and grabs ZOREF to
steady him. DOMINIX immediately starts to shudder.
ON ZOREF
His shivering starts to ease. He looks at DOMINIX and
reacts.
DOMINIX's face has gone chalk white, his body has completely
frozen. DOMINIX falls to the ground.
At the start of Act Two, the original script was also different to the 21st May version. In each version Helena states that Dominix died a different time- in the first script, 38 minutes before, in the second, just 4 minutes ago, and in the final spoken dialogue, 7 minutes ago. Given the longer time in this first version, the frozen Dominix has begun to melt, leaving a puddle on the floor. In this version, Paul Morrow is present. In the later version, Paul is gone and Helena's doesn't talk about foul play.
15
ACT TWO:
FADE IN:
21 INT. GENERATING AREA. 21
DOMINIX's body lies in an increasing pool of water.
HELENA completes an initial examination and stands up.
KOENIG and MORROW move forward to hear the result.
MATHIAS and a MEDICAL ORDERLY transfer the body to a
trolley through the action.
HELENA
According to his medical monitor
he died thirty eight minutes ago.
(beat)
But he has the physical appearance
of a man who has been dead for
seven or eight days.
MORROW
He reported here for duty two
hours ago.
HELENA
I don't doubt the monitor. It's
the cause of death that's
confusing me, not the time.
KOENIG
What do you make of this water?
HELENA
He's thawing out. In some way
his body was instantly and very
deeply frozen.
She looks at KOENIG and MORROW who are even more
bewildered than she is.
HELENA
I'll perform an autopsy. But
I can't be sure it'll give me
any answers.
HELENA goes to follow MATHIAS and the ORDERLY out but
KOENIG calls her back.
KOENIG
Helena?
She turns and there is a pause whilst KOENIG waits for
the door to close behind MATHIAS.
KOENIG (CONT'D.)
Is there any equipment, any
technique available on Alpha
to do this to a man?
HELENA
I don't know exactly what has
been done yet. You'll have to
wait for the autopsy. But if
you're asking me whether to suspect
suicide, accident or foul play,
my first opinion is that it's
foul play.
KOENIG digests this for a moment, then nods to HELENA.
KOENIG
Alright. The sooner you can
let me...
HELENA
(cuts in)
I won't be wasting any time.
HELENA goes out.
MORROW
Who? First Zoref and now
Dominix.
BERGMAN comes out of the observation room and joins
KOENIG and MORROW.
BERGMAN
Well, if you're looking for a
motive you can rule out sabotage.
Nothing's damaged in here.
KOENIG
(to MORROW)
Dominix had no enemies?
MORROW
None that we knew about.
KOENIG
Zoref?
MORROW
They were close friends.