03x03 - Tapeworm

[bunniefuu]

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Hi.

Vivian Lee Finch. Davenport, Iowa.

Heather Billings. Billings, Montana.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

I collect snapshots. Do you mind?

- Not at all.

- Thanks.

- [CAMERA WHIRS]

- [CHUCKLES]

My mom gave it to me for graduation.

She said, "You never want

to forget a friend's face."

Mm.

There's a lot of girls here. [LAUGHS]

Yeah, because it's Thursday.

Every Thursday, Sheila holds an

open call across all categories.

Editorial, or "The Faces."

Runway. We call them "The Walkers."

And fitness.

Spartans.

Girls come from all over to be seen.

Well, I just got in yesterday,

and I promised myself, the first

day I wake up in New York City,

I'm going straight to Sheila Klein's office

and introducing myself.

- Oh, good for you.

- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

It's been three months for me.

Do you eat Vogue for breakfast, too?

[LAUGHS]

- My dream is to be on the cover.

- Mine, too.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Yeah, I'll make you a deal,

Heather Billings from Billings, Montana.

If I'm the first one to the top

of the mountain,

I'll throw the rope back and hoist you up.

And if you make it first,

you throw the rope back for me.

- How about that?

- Pinky promise?

- Yes.

- [BOTH LAUGH]

Not a lot of sisterhood in this sorority.

All the more reason girls like us

have to watch each other's backs.

- Okay.

- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

[PHOTOS TURNING]

[SHEILA] Forehead.

Nostrils.

Braces? Oh, what is this,

The Mickey Mouse Club tryouts?

[SIGHS]

Hmm She's fresh.

Bring her in.

Ugh.

Everyone is so pretty

and skinny.

Nobody in Davenport looks like this.

Negative two is the new size zero.

[DOOR OPENS]

Vivian Finch.

That's you.

Oh.

- [STAMMERS] Okay.

- Yeah.

Okay.

Good luck.

[FOOTFALLS ECHOING]

♪

[SIGHS]

Vivian Lee Finch.

Tell me, why are you here?

I'm here because I have a dream.

I was born with something called

neuromuscular scoliosis.

- My spine is curved

- [SHEILA] No. Don't. Stop.

This is not your one-woman show.

What do you do?

Uh

Editorial? Runway? Fitness? What do you do?

Oh, um

I suppose I hadn't

really thought about that.

[LAUGHS] Um

I want to do anything.

Everything.

I want to be on the cover of Vogue.

[LAUGHING] Oh, sweetie.

Just because you're the prettiest girl

in Hog Scrotum, Indiana,

doesn't mean you have what it takes

to be on the cover of Vogue.

I'm from Iowa. [CHUCKLES] Davenport.

Walk.

Walk!

Oh, uh, okay.

[WHISPERS] Okay.

[SIGHS]

["BOYS WANNA BE HER" BY PEACHES PLAYING]

You've got them all by the balls ♪

Causin' waterfalls,

stone walls, bar brawls ♪

Common stalls that cause 'em all ♪

To you, they crawl, body sprawl ♪

Smoking Pall Malls,

close call, stand tall ♪

Doll, you make them feel so small ♪

And they love it ♪

The boys wanna be her,

the girls wanna be her ♪

The boys wanna be her, the girls ♪

Wanna be her, the boys wanna be her ♪

I wanna be her ♪

Yes, I do ♪

Was that all right?

You know

it really doesn't take that much talent

to be a model. I mean, not really.

But to be a supermodel

Well, it takes more talent

than anything in the world.

And not the kind of talent

that you can teach.

It's star quality.

And, my dear, other than Linda Evangelista,

you have more of it

than anyone I've ever seen

come through that door.

Really?

Oh, wow, Miss Klein,

you have no idea what that means.

I really wish I could sign you. I do.

Good luck to you. I mean it.

Oh, bring this one in.

Uh

But I-I don't understand.

What are you, a size two?

Uh, a four.

[LAUGHS] Oh, sweetie. A four?

You're too fat.

♪

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]

♪

Are you okay?

I feel so stupid.

God, how embarrassing.

Let me guess

she told you you were too heavy.

No, she said I was too fat.

I mean, who says a thing like that?

- I'm sorry.

- [GRUNTS] I will show her.

She has no idea what I'm capable of.

I'll diet, I'll exercise.

I'll do whatever it takes, just you wait.

It won't work.

[SCOFFS]

So you think I should just give up too, huh?

Gee, whatever happened to us

girls having each other's backs?

Vivian.

I'm not telling you to quit.

I'm just saying it won't work.

Dieting, exercising.

Would you believe it if I told you

I used to be a size four, too?

That's impossible. You're so skinny.

I know.

Here.

Go see this guy,

Dr. Lau.

It's the only way.

[CREAKING]

♪

♪

I don't like to cut corners

ask anyone who knows me

but I don't know what to do.

I-I've been dieting and exercising. I

I lost four pounds, but the rest

it just won't come off.

Well

your bloodwork is excellent.

I'm recommending a course of a drug

called Mondify.

It's a diabetes drug, but I use it off-label

for weight loss with a lot

of patients in Hollywood,

the modeling industry,

lot of news anchors on Fox,

etcetera, etcetera.

Is it a pill?

I've never taken anything more

than an aspirin. [LAUGHS]

Not a pill, a sh*t. Once a week.

The weight will fly off.

A sh*t?

Ugh, um

I don't know. Um

Look, Mondify is nothing to be afraid of.

Side effects are minimal.

Tiny needle, FDA approved, all above board.

You know, I use Mondify myself.

It's a drug of the future.

Here.

I'll show you how to use it.

[GROANS SOFTLY]

So I just s*ab it in and push the button?

Mm-hmm. Just s*ab and push.

[SIGHS]

Should we toast?

To

To Vogue.

[CHUCKLES]

[SIGHS]

[WOMAN VOMITING]

[TOILET FLUSHING]

Hi.

Mary Alice, right?

You're Sheila's assistant?

Profiles.

Give us a twirl.

What do you think?

- I think you look fantastic.

- [SNEEZES]

Go wash your hands, please.

[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

Three words:

Vivian Lee from Nobody-cares, Indiana.

Iowa. [CHUCKLES]

I'm signing you.

Oh, my goodness, really?

- For real real?

- For real real.

See Marjorie at the front desk.

She'll get you all sorted.

I won't let you down. [LAUGHS]

- Mondify?

- Sorry?

That's what you're on, Mondify?

Oh. Uh

Yeah.

How long?

Uh, about four months.

I get a little nausea

on the day of the sh*t,

but, otherwise, I feel great.

[SHEILA] Well, keep it up.

We'll make you the it-iest it girl ever.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]

[MICK] Over here, Viv.

That's it.

Oh, f*ck me in the ball sack,

that's beautiful.

- She's a goddess.

- Good, right?

[MICK] God, she's a f*cking Maserati.

Vroom, vroom, baby.

- [LAUGHS]

- Ooh!

Careful. It's an eyelid, not a garage door.

[CAMERA WHIRS]

Oh, Heather. Come here.

Mm. Pretty color.

Sheila, this is my friend

and roommate Heather Billings.

It's an honor to meet you, Miss Klein.

Heather is a fabulous model.

You should see her portfolio.

It's hot in here. Let's get everybody out.

My girl's overheating. Chop, chop.

Come on.

Ugh, gorgeous.

Mm.

A gazelle cannot live with a hyena.

Heather? She's not a hyena. [CHUCKLES]

You don't think that girl

wouldn't eat you in a heartbeat

just to stay alive?

She's got claws.

And I'm not talking about

those dreadful press-ons.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]

[MICK] Over here, Viv.

[SHUTTER CLICKING LOUDLY]

[HEATHER] Vivian!

Oh, if it's broken, I'll just die.

I am so stupid.

Your nose will be fine.

Vivian, what I'm worried about

is your electrocardiogram.

You forgot to tell me

you have a heart murmur?

Well, it's a complication of my scoliosis,

but I-I hardly thought it mattered.

I-I don't let it affect my daily life.

That doesn't mean

you don't have it. It matters.

I can't, in good conscience,

allow you to continue on Mondify.

Your heart could explode.

What? But I need it.

Vivian, this drug could lead

to real valve damage.

It caused you to black out.

What if you'd been driving?

Would you rather be skinny or alive?

That's supposed to be rhetorical.

[SIGHS]

Well, there has to be another way.

Anything that radically changes

the composition of your body

comes with extreme risk.

You lied to me about your medical history.

At this point, any options I do have,

I wouldn't recommend to you.

But there are other options then?

[SIGHS] Vivian.

These things have to come

from a place of honesty.

Health first.

It can't come from some

insane, jealous desire

to be the skinniest or the prettiest.

You're right.

[SIGHS] I don't know what's gotten into me.

[SIGHS]

You know, my whole life,

becoming a model was a statement

I was determined to make about

overcoming odds,

about proving that I wasn't

limited by my condition,

my scoliosis.

But there's another philosophy

that drives girls in this industry.

And it isn't about being

the best version of you,

it's about being better than them.

And it's bitter and petty, and

I-I just got caught up in it.

Please.

I want to show little girls

out there who have big dreams

that there is a different way to be.

I want to be an example of

empowerment and self-love, but

I have to stay in the business to do that.

Dr. Lau, if you help me,

I won't lie to you ever again,

you have my word.

Wait here.

[DOOR OPENS]

[SIGHS]

- [DOOR CLOSES]

- [LAU] This

it's a very ancient treatment.

All natural, so it won't run you

the same risks as Mondify.

But do not take this lightly,

it comes with its own whole set of issues.

Is it a pill?

Oh.

[LAU] Taenia asiatica.

It's a tapeworm

from a very distant forest.

Wash it down with some oolong tea.

You'll lose more weight with

this little guy than on Mondify.

A tapeworm?

But

if you're going to do this,

Vivian, you have to follow

my instructions to the letter.

I'm very serious.

[TEA POURING]

The tapeworm will beg to be fed.

You will feel hungry, very hungry,

but you must eat normally,

no more than you would ordinarily.

Do you understand?

♪

[CLEARS THROAT]

You'll be down ten pounds in a week.

I promise.

[SPUTTERS SOFTLY]

♪

["YOUR LOVE" BY FRANKIE KNUCKLES PLAYING]

♪

When I'm with you I believe ♪

That your love is true ♪

When we love you turn me out ♪

You know what to do ♪

Visions really blow my mind ♪

Fantasizing all the time ♪

[WHISTLES]

A princess among us peasants.

Well, I need your love ♪

[MOUTH FULL] You think she's

prettier than me?!

I need your love ♪

[SCREAMS]

I need your love ♪

Don't make me wait too long ♪

Oh ♪

I need your touch ♪

Don't make me wait for your love ♪

[WAITER] Hey. Are you, like,

okay?

Perfect jawline.

Too bad your hairline is on f*cking Mars.

Oh, no.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I can't let go ♪

I can't let go. ♪

- [BUZZER SOUNDS]

- [MAN] That's lunch. 30 minutes.

She's hogging my light.

[LIGHT BUZZING]

[MODEL 1] Oink, oink, little piggy.

[MODEL 2] I heard she ate

four double chili cheeseburgers

in the bathroom.

She brought them from home.

[MODEL 1] You know what? It's not her fault.

That's just how they eat

in Potatoville, Idaho.

[LAUGHTER]

I'm from Iowa,

you puddles of herpes pus!

[SHEILA] Hey! Okay.

Hold on, hold on.

Show's over.

Ugh, don't touch me, you axe wound.

Okay, Viv, I need you

to take a breath. Calm down.

[LAUGHS] I don't need to take a breath.

Didn't you hear?

I booked Vogue.

The f*cking cover.

So sit on a rusty railroad spike

and rotate.

- I hate them.

- [SHEILA] That's perfectly fine.

You can be an outright bitch to them,

but we cannot have scenes

like what happened back there.

[CRYING] I know. I'm so sorry, Sheila.

The weight loss isn't real.

[SHEILA] Everyone is on Mondify.

No.

Something else.

I'm a fraud. There's something

inside of me.

[SHEILA] I know.

Imposter syndrome.

You've stepped over every other

girl to get to where you are,

and now you're wondering, "Why me? Why me?"

I'll tell you why,

because you are a supermodel,

and they are not.

They will never understand

the pressures that you face,

but I do.

I have seen it all before.

Everything is gonna be okay, trust me.

Now get yourself cleaned up.

[TRAIN RUMBLING]

Viv?

Hey, guess what.

You'll never believe it,

but Magenta Magazine

is doing this article.

It's all about models, misconceptions,

how tough the business can be.

Anyway, guess what?

They're using my photos

to go with the article.

My snapshots.

It doesn't pay, but

it's gonna be printed all over the world.

[SOFT CLANKING NEARBY]

Vivian? Are you home?

[HEAVY BREATHING NEARBY]

Viv?

Vivian?

Hey

I know you have a lot

on your plate right now

with Vogue coming up and all, but

do you think you could do

some of your dishes?

Or take out the trash?

This mess is getting out of control.

Magenta Magazine

is doing an article.

They're using my photos.

[VIVIAN YELLS]

Magenta Magazine is for has-beens

and wannabes.

[LAUGHING]

Viv, you're scaring me.

[GROWLS]

[VIVIAN BREATHING HEAVILY]

[WHISPERS] Heather

I don't know why I did that.

[CRYING] I am so sorry.

I will buy you another one.

I'm gonna go, Vivian.

No

I can't live with you like this.

I'll come and get my stuff later this week

when you're gone.

No. Heather, wait, please.

I have to tell you the truth. Please.

It's not, it's not me, there's

- It's not me.

- [KEYS JINGLE]

There's something

A monster

inside of me.

I know there is.

I've been in this business

longer than you have, Vivian.

Lots of girls have the exact same thing

inside them as you.

Even me.

I just hide it better.

You have you have a tapeworm?

A tapeworm?

Don't mock me, Vivian.

The monster inside of you is jealousy.

Insecurity.

You have so much right now,

and I have nothing.

Why would you feel threatened by me?

Good luck with Vogue tomorrow.

I hope it's everything you ever dreamed of.

No, no, wait. Come back.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[CRYING] I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

[SOBBING]

[PELÉ SPEAKING FRENCH]

All right, I can't believe I'm saying this,

but the model is too skinny.

There is no body.

There is no body to hang the clothes on.

I'm sorry.

- What's going on?

- You're down five pounds

from the fitting, hon.

The dress was custom tailored.

Now we have to redo it.

I can't be.

I get it. There's a lot of pressure

to be thin in this business,

but I've seen girls go down

fast and hard because of eating disorders.

What's going on?

- Is it bulimia, anorexia?

- No, no.

It's just my constitution.

[SCOFFS] This ain't my first rodeo, sister.

I'm not trying to embarrass you.

I want you to have a long

and healthy career.

Burn, you fat lesbian cow.

Ugh, avert your gaze from me.

[ALESSIA] Excuse me.

I respect your process,

but you better purge that sh*t

before we sh**t.

♪

[CRYING]

[RETCHING, COUGHING]

[COUGHING]

[CRYING]

[CAR ALARM BLARING IN DISTANCE]

[SOFT MOANING NEARBY]

Vivian?

I never should have given it to you.

It's too much responsibility. You're

You're too young. I

I'm so sorry, Vivian. This is my fault.

I can't stop shedding weight.

I'm losing jobs.

I'm too skinny.

But more than that,

it's changing me.

The tapeworm metabolizes and stores food

more efficiently than we do.

That's why you can eat and eat

without gaining in size.

But the worm does grow,

and the bigger it gets,

the stronger its need to consume becomes.

This is why you mustn't feed it too much.

But the hunger isn't just for food.

It's for

everything.

All for me.

None for anyone else.

The tapeworm is a powerful organism,

but it's also very simple.

You see, it

Its function is its defense mechanism.

It consumes.

As the worm gets bigger, its need to consume

becomes your need to consume.

Its defense mechanism

becomes your defense mechanism.

Devour.

Devour anything deemed to be a thr*at.

I have to get it out of me.

Do the surgery.

[SIGHS]

It's too big. It's enmeshed in you.

Can I take something to k*ll it?

Almost anything strong enough

to k*ll the worm

will k*ll you, too.

There has to be something.

Get it out of me!

Okay.

[DRAWER OPENS, CLOSES]

This. Drink it.

The tapeworm has an innate revulsion to it.

You'll experience contractions,

and the worm will make its way out

to the nearest exit your anus.

When you see its head, grab it and tug firm,

but gentle.

Keep pulling till the whole thing comes out.

If you've been feeding it as moderately

as we discussed, it should be

about a-a foot long by now.

[THUNDER RUMBLES]

[LIGHT BUZZING]

[GRUNTS SOFTLY]

[SHUDDERS]

♪

[GASPING]

[SQUISHING]

[CRIES OUT]

- [SQUISHING]

- [SCREAMING]

[PAINED GRUNTING]

[CRYING SOFTLY]

[SHARP CRIES]

- [SQUISHING]

- [SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

- [HISSING]

- [SCREAMING]

[TAPEWORM SCREECHING]

[SOBBING]

No, no, no, please.

No, please.

Please, please, no, no, no.

[SCREAMS]

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

Vivian, you're not answering,

so I assume that means you're not home.

Just letting you know

I'm coming up to get my stuff.

[SCOFFS]

Vivian Lee Finch, what happened to you?

Viv?

Are you in here?

Are you okay?

[LIGHT BUZZING]

- [TAPEWORM SCREECHES]

- [HEATHER CRIES OUT]

Well, you've certainly got the look.

But I only sign girls who are

willing to do the work.

Are you hungry?

Miss Klein, I am starving.

[TAPEWORM HISSING]