"THE BLACK WIDOW'S CLUB" treatment by William C. Martell When her husband's plane is delayed, Terry Bliss kills time in the airport lounge; where she meets Peggy Hopely and Lisa Ripley. Lisa is waiting for her plane, Peggy just dropped her husband off. Three strangers with much in common. They swap ex-husband stories, each one more frightening and funny than the last. Peggy put her husband through college, only to have him dump her for another woman... some bimbo. Lisa's ex solved arguments with his fists, landing her in the hospital - she will never marry again... a bit of a man hater. Terry's ex screwed everything that moved while running them into financial ruin. Peggy wishes her exhusband were dead, Terry and Lisa understand the feeling. "Why don't we do it? Why don't we kill our ex-husbands?" Lisa jokes. Terry and Peggy play along. Peggy suggests they kill each other's ex. Less chance of getting caught if the killer is a stranger. And it gives them a chance to set up an air tight alibi. The "Black Widow's Club." The three laugh at the thought, but Terry thinks Lisa has given this way too much thought. Terry hears her husband's plane called, and Lisa leaves to board her flight. Ed and Terry Bliss hug in the airport. Lisa boards her plane. Peggy finishes her drink and leaves the airport bar. Three strangers. When Ed and Terry get home, she jokes about the "Black Widow's Club". Ed asks if he can join. Terry may have had a bastard for an ex, but Ed's got her beat: his ex-wife Margaret stabbed him seven times and he has a permanent restraining order against her. He moved to the other side of the country just to get away, but she still calls sometimes, just to say she hates him.
A week later, Ed is working late. Pounding on the front door. It's Lisa, and she looks like hell. She claims that Peggy has been hounding her about The Black Widow's Club... Lisa starts babbling about murdering her ex-husband. Terry realizes she is defenseless. Lisa grabs her, and Terry pushes her away and closes the door. Locks and bolts it. Lisa continues to pound on the door. Screaming. The pounding stops after twenty minutes. When Ed returns, Lisa tells him about crazy Lisa... stops when the news comes on. Lisa being taken away in handcuffs for brutally murdering her ex-husband with a butcher knife. Hacked him to pieces. "Oh my God. She could have killed me..." Ed holds her. Ed is worried, wants Terry to carry a gun. Ed gets a call at work from his ex-wife. "How can you be sure your new little bitch is faithful? She could still be screwing her ex husband." "That's crazy." "Why? I want to screw you, Ed. I want to feel you inside me again..." Ed hangs up. The next day, Terry bumps into Peggy while shopping. They talk about Lisa... shocking that she killed her ex husband. Terry thinks Lisa had serious unresolved issues with her ex... "Don't we all?" Peggy replies. Terry realizes it's true. Peggy understands Lisa's hatred: tells Terry more about her bastard ex. How she worked to put him through college, tried to be the ideal wife, supported him when he was first starting out in business. But as soon as he established his career he dumped her for some trophy wife bimbo. Some sleazy tramp. Terry jokes that her ex husband didn't dump her - he thought he could screw around as much as he wanted and it wouldn't effect their relationship. Maybe their exes would be better off dead! Peggy laughs, and they go their separate ways. When Terry gets home, she realizes her purse is missing.
Lisa calls Terry from jail, claims she's innocent. Peggy murdered her ex husband. "Why would she do that?" "The Black Widow's Club!" "That was your idea," Terry says. Lisa pleads, "You have to tell them about the Black Widow's Club! You have to find Peggy... prove she was the killer!" Terry wonders if this is Lisa's elaborate alibi. That night: The relationship between Ed and Terry is strained. Neither discuss their problems. The next morning, Peggy at the door. Terry asks: How do you know where I live? "It was on your drivers license," Peggy says as she returns Terry's purse. Terry tells Peggy about Lisa's phone call and wild accusation. Was the "Black Widow's Club" Lisa's plan to throw blame on a stranger? Did Lisa's hatred of men turn into a bigger problem? Peggy says: "Lisa's problem was she would hold up her part of the deal." "What deal?" "Trading murders." Peggy leaves. Terry wonders if Peggy was serious about trading murders. The "Black Widow's Club" may be more than a joke... What if Peggy really did kill Lisa's ex-husband? What if Lisa IS innocent? That night: When Ed falls asleep, Terry sneaks out to warn her ex-husband Robert about the Black Widow's Club. "Lisa may be innocent." Robert makes a play for Terry. "For old time's sake." In his car across the street, Ed watches Terry and Robert's silhouette meld into an embrace. Terry is having an affair! He drives back home, depressed and angry. Terry SLAPS Robert and splits. Strained relations between Terry and Ed. Will they divorce?
The phone rings. It's Peggy. "I've done my half, now it's your turn." She hangs up. Terry thinks she's lying... But a half hour later Detective Moran knocks at the door. Robert has been murdered. Shot three times at point blank range. The killer had to be someone he knew. Someone he was intimate with. "When was the last time you saw your ex husband?" Terry lies: "Months ago." When Ed comes home, Terry tells him about Robert's murder... Ed wonders if Terry killed her ex. Asks where the gun he loaned her is. Terry searches her purse, but it's gone. Along with several other personal items. The phone rings. It's Peggy. "Glad you didn't tell the Detective about me. That means we're still on, right? You're going to kill my ex husband... The bastard deserves it." Terry refuses. Peggy says: "Robert was killed with YOUR gun. I have other personal items... evidence against you. If you don't hold up your side of the deal, I'll hand all of this evidence over to the police. You'll go to jail for murdering your ex husband. If you kill my ex husband, I'll give you the evidence back, and you WON'T go to jail. I'll call to find out what time I need an alibi for." Terry finally confesses to Ed about Peggy's crazy plan. Ed realizes Terry went to warn Robert, and wasn't cheating. They're a team again. Ed thinks Terry should pretend to go along with the plan in order to get the evidence back. Terry arranges to meet Peggy in a park to get a photo of Peggy's ex husband and his address. When Terry pulls the photo from the envelope, she gets the shock of her life: It's Ed. Peggy and Margaret are the same person! Ed is the complete jerk who used her and dumper her! And Terry is the bimbo! "Will you kill him?" "Sure... I'll kill him. But only if you return the evidence to me
immediately afterward. I'll have no alibi, you'll have no alibi." Peggy/Margaret agrees to this. Terry and Ed go to the Santa Monica Pier the next night... Ed asks what's happening with Peggy and the evidence. "I haven't heard from her," Terry lies. Ed thinks she's acting strange. Terry asks Ed about Margaret. Was there some REASON she stabbed him seven times? Ed talks about his relationship with Margaret... admits that he didn't treat her well... They walk along the beach together, then Terry KILLS ED! Peggy sees the murder through binoculars, goes to meet Terry on the pier to hand over the evidence. "The jerk is dead," Terry tells her. The Black Widow's Club will disband. Peggy smiles. But it's all been a con: Ed is alive. The three of them fight for the evidence, and Ed and Terry end up shooting Peggy with the gun... That night, Detective Moran comes to arrest Ed for the murder of his ex-wife. But Terry provides an alibi - the two are a team, now, marriage completely back on track... maybe even better than before. All of the lies and half truths and things never discussed are now out in the open. Detective Moran knows that the alibi is false, but also knows the couple only did what they had to do to save their marriage... so he decides to investigate other suspects. Airport bar: Terry is having a drink when a man sits next to her... Ed. Their flight is called for their second honeymoon, and they run to catch their plane. END. William C. Martell (818) 497-2707 WGAw# 607109