Related Episode: Blind Man's Bluff

The boys aren't mine. Most of the words here aren't mine, either. They belong to the screen writer, Daniel Levine. The original script, as transcribed by Becky, can be found at her Episodes Transctipts Page. Thanks, Mr. Levine, for a great episode. Hope you don't mind my playing with it.

Being committed to somebody doesn't mean that you don't occasionally appreciate other people's charms... or company...

~Day. Blair and Margaret strolling through park.~

Margaret: (to Blair) He loves Thai food. We like the same books. I mean, he even listens to R&B. I just wanna meet this guy. Okay?

Blair: I just don't think it's gonna be a good idea, Margaret. (vendor hands him his hot dog) Thanks, man. (pulls out a laser pointer from his pocket, shining it at a dog standing next to them) Check this out. (they walk over to a empty picnic table and sit down) Isn't it pretty cool? It's a laser pointer. It's great for my lectures.

Margaret: Look, why don't we try and stick to the subject here, okay? (looks at the dog) Whose dog is this? (gives dog a bite of her hot dog) I just want something casual. You know, go out for a cup of coffee, a drink, something like that.

Blair: Margaret, what if you two don't hit it off? He's a friend of mine. You're a friend of mine... Your feelings get hurt, then I'm caught in the middle.

Margaret: We already like each other.

Blair: On the phone.

Margaret: Yeah, so?

Blair: We're human animals, right, Margaret? Attraction is partly intellectual, but the visual components are a major aspect to it. Without the physical thing, we don't have the whole package.

Margaret: What are you saying? Jim's not attractive?

Blair: I'm saying that... he has an inner beauty.

Margaret: (pause) I like his voice. I'd still like to meet him.

(Blair's cellphone rings and he answers it.)

Blair: Sandburg. ... I'm at Holden Park, Jim. ... Be right there. (to Margaret) Look, I have to go. See you later, okay?

Margaret: What's going on?

Blair: Police emergency. I have to run. I'll call you, ok? (hurries off)

[Blair joins Jim at the bridge, and from this point the episode continues as televised, until...]

~Bullpen. Jim and Blair are trying to convince Simon Jim can function even though he can't see.~

(Jim walks toward the door of Simon's office and promptly bumps into the frame. He moves over and continues through the doorway into the bullpen. Simon and Blair follow and stand in the doorway to watch. Brown walks through the bullpen, carrying a cup, stirring it. Jim pauses.)

Jim: Hey, Brown, you keep hitting that cocoa, you're gonna stretch the waistband of those fine corduroy slacks you're wearing.

Brown: It's the sugarless kind. Okay?

Jim: It's your figure. (moves away)

(Refreshment lady wheels her cart in through the side doorway and Jim stops the cart.)

Jim: Oh, boy, doesn't this smell good. I'd like the poppyseed, please. You can put it on the desk right behind you. (pulls out a wallet and take out a bill, handing it to her) Keep the change.

Woman: Gee, thanks.

Blair: (to Simon) I think that was a twenty.

Jim: Can't I be generous? (bumps into donut cart) Excuse me.

Simon: (to Blair) He's gonna go broke.

Blair: Yeah. (sees a woman entering the bullpen)

Margaret: Blair?

Blair: Margaret. (goes over to meet her)

Margaret: Hey!

Blair: How you doing? (they hug)

Margaret: Good. So, I have an appointment in the neighborhood and I -- That's a lie. I, um... I came here to meet Jim.

(Jim hears the conversation and walks over to join them.)

Margaret: (to Jim) And I guess that's you. (holds out her hand; then drops it when Jim doesn't respond)

Blair: Uh, Jim, have you washed your hands since you came back from the morgue?

Jim: Of course I have. (extends hand; they shake after a bit of fumbling)

Jim: Nice to see you.

Margaret: You know it's funny, you're... you're so like I pictured.

Jim: You know when I imagined your voice, well I pictured you to look just like you do.

Margaret: Well, good, I'm glad I did this.

Jim: I am too.

Margaret: So you wanna give me a call and we'll make some plans?

Jim: Yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that. Let's do it soon.

Margaret: Okay. (to Blair, sotto voice) Inner beauty? Thanks for trying to keep us apart. It worked beautifully. Bye. (she leaves)

(Simon joins them.)

Blair: Bye, bye. (pause) Well, so far, so good.

Simon: Yeah, right. (to Jim) All right. I want you to set up the next meet. We'll just take this one step at a time.

Jim: Okay.

Simon: Wear the glasses. (hands Jim his sunglasses)

Jim: Okay. (puts glasses on)

(Jim and Blair head down the hall toward the elevator.)

Blair: (pushing button for elevator) You do realize she's interested in you romantically, right?

Jim: Come on, she just wants somebody she can hang with, who's not put out by talk about 70's rock'n'roll and existentialist poetry.

Blair: (getting into elevator) You don't seriously believe that, do you?

Jim: Do you really think all relationships between men and women are about sex?

Blair: (gives Jim an incredulous glare, then realizes he can't see him) Forget it.

(They walk off the elevator.)

[Episode proceeds again, until...]

~Loft. Jim sits at the table, moving salt and pepper shakers in front of him. Blair walks over and clears the plates from the table.~

Blair: Maybe you're trying too hard to get your sight back.

Jim: Maybe I'm not trying hard enough.

(There's a knock on the door. Jim puts shakers down.)

Jim: Are you expecting somebody?

Blair: No, I'm not. (goes over to door) Who is it? (looks through peephole to see Margaret)

Margaret: It's Margaret!

Blair: Yeah... uh....Hang on just one second. I gotta... um... put a shirt on.

(Jim stands from the table and walks toward couch.)

Jim: Get... Get me a damp washcloth.

(In the hallway, Margaret continues to wait, a bottle of wine in her hand. Blair finally opens the door.)

Margaret: Hi. So, you know Jim didn't call, so I just I thought I'd, you know. (looks inside, sees Jim on the couch, washcloth over his eyes) Oh. Is he okay?

Blair: Oh yeah, he's fine. Migraines. Stress from the job, you know. Cold towel on the head's the only thing that seems to work. Maybe you should come back some oth--

Margaret: (moves in past Blair) No. No. No.

Blair: (sarcastically) Come on in. (closes door)

(Margaret sits next to Jim on the couch, setting bottle on coffee table. Jim removes cloth from his eyes.)

Margaret: Hi.

Jim: Hi. How are you?

Margaret: I'm okay. My father used to get migraines.

Jim: Ah.

Margaret: I can... I can take care of you. (starts to rub Jim's shoulders)

Jim: That would be the nicest thing I've heard in quite awhile.

(Blair rolls his eyes.)

Margaret: (to Blair) Do you have any liniment?

Blair: Uh, no, we're out.

Jim: Oh, I bought some just the other day. Lemme go get it. (gets up, walks to Blair's side)

Margaret: No, no. I'll get it.

Jim: Oh. No. No. No. You, you, don't be silly. You stay put. Um, can I get you something to drink?

Margaret: Well I brought--I brought wine. (lifts bottle briefly)

Jim: Oh yes, of course. Excellent choice. I'll get some glasses. (walks into kitchen with Blair)

Jim: Get some glasses.

Blair: Jim, why are you doing this?

Jim: Good practice.

Blair: You are leading her on!

Jim: I'm not.

Blair: You are!

Jim: Blair, if I'm gonna be blind, I might as well start getting used to it, and I might as well start with Margaret.

Blair: Fine, you are on your own.

(Storms out of the kitchen. Jim follows him.)

Jim: Blair...

Blair: Keep your hands off me! (opens front door, accidentally smacking it into Jim, then slips out and leaves)

Jim: (shrugs) Great guy.

~Next Day. Donut shop. Jim and Blair are seated at a table.~

Jim: Mmmnnn. I detect glazed buttermilk.

Blair: (looks at counter) Yep. (gets up and goes to counter)

Jim: (referring to donut) It starts right at the tip and works all its way back.

Blair: (gets donut on a plate) Can we put this on the bill, please?

Jim: (still talking about donut) It's an explosion. Just an explosion.

Blair: (sits down again) All right. All right. All right. Here's your donut. You got your donut. (moves Jim's hand to plate)

Jim: Of course. (fumbles a bit before getting a grip on it)

Blair: So, last night, Margaret and you just talked, she got tired and she went home?

Jim: Right. Right. And she still doesn't know that I'm blind.

Blair: And she didn't hit on you at all?

Jim: No, she didn't. And I didn't either. All I did was whistle.

Blair: Whistle?

Jim: Yeah. (whistles) Whistle. (his cellphone rings) Like a bat.

Blair: Like a bat.

Jim: Go ahead. Have it. You gotta try some of that.

(Jim pushes plate over to Blair as he pulls out his phone. Blair takes a piece of donut, sniffs it and makes a face before dropping it again.)

Jim: (into phone) Yeah.

Drug boss: If you've got the money, we're ready to meet.

Jim: Okay. (to Blair) Let's go, Chief.

[Episode proceeds, Blair eats the drugged pizza and ends up in the hospital, Jim goes to bust the drug lab and wrecks Simon's car but manages to catch all the bad guys, and...]

~Hospital. Blair is in bed, hooked up to an IV. All machines are gone.~

Blair: How long did the doctor say I have to stay here?

Jim: Another day. They just want to make sure all the drugs are out of your system.

Blair: How are your eyes doing?

Jim: Almost clear. Just have this, you know, residual kinda fringe...

Blair and Jim: Glow.

Jim: It's kinda nice, actually.

(Margaret knocks on the door, holding flowers.)

Jim: (frowning) Yes?

Margaret: Blair, I heard you were in the hospital, and... Are you all right?

Blair: I am now.

Jim: Margaret? (gets up to grab an extra chair) Thanks for dropping by. Here. (helps her to a seat)

Margaret: What happened?

Jim: Case we were working on. Drug dealers got nervous that we were getting too close, so they sent a drug-laced pizza to the police station.

Margaret: That's horrible. And Blair ate it?

Blair: Would you believe I was the only one who ate it?

Margaret: Well, that's good. (pause) I mean, not good that Blair ate it, but that nobody else did.

Blair: Thanks. I think.

Jim: Better find something to put these flowers in. Excuse me. (walks out)

Margaret: So how are you, really?

Blair: Fine. The doctors say I can go home tomorrow.

Margaret: You know, you could have just told me about you and Jim.

Blair: I...

Margaret: Jim thought I knew. He said you had some kind of misplaced idea that just because you find him attractive, everybody else must be out to get him, too.

Blair: I...

Margaret: He spent most of the time talking about how wonderful you are. He totally adores you.

Blair: I know. I just wish, he'd say, just once...

(Jim, walking down the hall with vase, hears Blair.)

Blair: Just once...