THELMA & LOUISE by Callie Khouri FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT June 5, 1990 FADE IN: INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING (PRESENT DAY) LOUISE is a waitress in a coffee shop. She is in her early-thirties, but too old to be doing this. She is very pretty and meticulously groomed, even at the end of her shift. She is slamming dirty coffee cups from the counter into a bus tray underneath the counter. It is making a lot of RACKET, which she is oblivious to. There is COUNTRY MUZAK in the b.g., which she hums along with. INT. THELMA'S KITCHEN - MORNING THELMA is a housewife. It's morning and she is slamming coffee cups from the breakfast table into the kitchen sink, which is full of dirty breakfast dishes and some stuff left from last night's dinner which had to "soak". She is still in her nightgown. The TV is ON in the b.g. From the kitchen, we can see an incomplete wallpapering project going on in the dining room, an obvious "do-it- yourself" attempt by Thelma. INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING Louise goes to the pay phone and dials a number. INT. THELMA'S KITCHEN - MORNING Phone RINGS. Thelma goes over to answer it. THELMA (hollering) I got it! Hello. INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING LOUISE (at pay phone) I hope you're packed, little housewife, 'cause we are outta her tonight. INT. THELMA'S KITCHEN - MORNING THELMA Well, wait now. I still have to ask Darryl if I can go. LOUISE (V.O.) You mean you haven't asked him yet? For Christ sake, Thelma, is he your husband or your father? It's just two days. For God's sake, Thelma. Don't be a child. Just tell him you're goin' with me, for cryin' out loud. Tell him I'm havin' a nervous breakdown. Thelma has the phone tucked under her chin, as she cuts out coupons from the newspaper and pins them on a bulletin board already covered with them. We see various recipes torn out from women's magazines along the lines of "101 Ways to Cook Pork." THELMA He already thinks you're out of your mind, Louise, that don't carry much weight with Darryl. Are you at work? LOUISE (V.O.) No, I'm callin' from the Playboy Mansion. THELMA I'll call you right back. Thelma goes through the living room to the bottom of the stairs and leans on the bannister. THELMA Darryl! Honey, you'd better hurry up. DARRYL comes trotting down the stairs. Polyester was made for this man, and he's dripping in "men's" jewelry. He manages a Carpeteria. DARRYL Damnit, Thelma, don't holler like that! Haven't I told you I can't stand it when you holler in the morning. THELMA I'm sorry, Doll, I just didn't want you to be late. Darryl is checking himself out in the hall mirror, and it's obvious he likes what he sees. He exudes over- confidence for reasons that never become apparent. He likes to think of himself as a real lady killer. He is making imperceptible adjustments to his over-moussed hair. Thelma watches approvingly. THELMA Hon. DARRYL What. THELMA (she decides not to tell him) Have a good day at work today. DARRYL Uh-huh. THELMA Hon? DARRYL What?! THELMA You want anything special for dinner? DARRYL No, Thelma, I don't give a shit what we have for dinner. I may not even make it home for dinner. You know how Fridays are. THELMA Funny how so many people wanna buy carpet on a Friday night. You'd almost think they's want to forget about it for the weekend. DARRYL Well then, it's a good thing you're not regional manager and I am. He's finally ready. He walks to the door and gives Thelma the most perfunctory kiss on the cheek. THELMA 'Bye, honey. I won't wait up. DARRYL See ya. Darryl leaves. We see his Corvette parked out front. As he closes the front door, Thelma leans against it. THELMA He's gonna shit. Thelma laughs to herself. She goes back into the kitchen and picks up the phone and dials it. INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING The pay phone on the wall RINGS. ALBERT, a busboy in his 50's, answers. ALBERT Good morning. Why, yes, she is. Is this Thelma? Oh, Thelma, when you gonna run away with me? Louise comes over and takes the phone out of his hand. LOUISE (to Albert) Not this weekend, sweetie, she's runnin' away with me. (into phone) Hi. What'd he say? THELMA (V.O.) What time are you gonna pick me up? LOUISE You're kiddin'! Alright! I'll be there around two or three. THELMA (V.O.) What kind of stuff do I bring? LOUISE I don't know. Warm stuff, I guess. It's the mountains. I guess it gets cold at night. I'm just gonna bring everything. THELMA (V.O.) Okay. I will, too. LOUISE And steal Darryl's fishin' stuff. THELMA (V.O.) I don't know how to fish, Louise. LOUISE Neither do I, Thelma, but Darryl does it, how hard can it be? I'll see you later. Be ready. They both hang up. EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY Louise pulls out in a green '66 T-Bird in mint condition. INT. THELMA'S BEDROOM - CLOSEUP - SUITCASE ON BED - DAY Going into the suitcase is bathing suits, wool socks, flannel pajamas, jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, a couple of dresses, way too much stuff for a two-day trip. REVEAL Thelma, standing in front of a closet, trying to decide what else to bring, as if she's forgotten something. The room looks like it was decorated entirely from a Sears catalog. It's really frilly. INT. LOUISE'S BEDROOM - CLOSEUP - SUITCASE ON BED - DAY A perfectly ordered suitcase, everything neatly folded and orderly. Three pairs of underwear, one pair of long underwear, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, one furry robe, one nightgown. She could be packing for camp. REVEAL Louise. Her room is as orderly as the suitcase. Everything matches. It's not quite as frilly as Thelma's, but it is of the same ilk. She is debating whether to take an extra pair of socks. She decides not to and closes the suitcase. She goes to the phone, picks it up and dials. We hear: ANSWERING MACHINE (V.O.) Hi. This is Jimmy. I'm not here right now, but I'll probably be back 'cause... all my stuff's here. Leave a message. Louise slams down the phone. A framed picture of Louise and Jimmy sits on the table next to the phone. She matter-of-factly slams that face down, too. INT. THELMA'S BEDROOM - DAY Thelma is still throwing stuff in, randomly now. She talks to herself quietly the whole time. She is taking stuff off of her nightstand, a small clock, fingernail scissors, etc. She opens the drawer of her nightstand. Her attitude is purposeful; she looks as if she knows exactly what she's doing; although, frankly, she has no idea, and each decision is completely arbitrary. As she rifles through it, plucking various items from among the jumbled contents, we see there is a gun in there, one Darryl bought her for protection. It is unloaded, but there is a box of bullets. She picks up the gun like it's a rat by the tail and puts it in her purse. THELMA (muttering to herself) Psycho killers... She grabs the box of bullets and throws them in, too. She tries to close her suitcase, but there is stuff hanging out all over the place. She stuffs things back in the sides and heaves all her weight against the top. EXT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Louise's green '66 T-Bird convertible pulls into the driveway of Thelma's house. The garage door goes up and Thelma is standing in the garage with all her gear. A suitcase that looks like it might explode, fishing gear, a cooler, a lantern. Thelma's car, a beat-up gray Honda, is parked in there, too. Louise gets out of the driver's seat. LOUISE We don't need the lantern. The place has electricity. THELMA I wanna take it anyway. Just in case. LOUISE In case of what? THELMA In case there's some escaped psycho killer on the loose, who cuts the electricity off and tries to come in and kill us. LOUISE (going along with her) Oh yeah, sure, Thelma, that lantern will come in real handy. Maybe we could tow your car behind, in case he steals the spark plugs. THELMA We'd have to. That thing barely makes it down the driveway. They load everything into the car. The trunk barely closes. Thelma heaves all her weight against it. They get into the car and pull out of the driveway. As they drive down the street, we hear Thelma let out a long howl. She is laughing and she sticks her arms straight up in the air. EXT. CAR - DAY They are driving down the interstate. Thelma reaches for her purse and finds the gun. THELMA Louise, will you take care of the gun? Louise shrieks at the sight of it. LOUISE Why in hell did you bring that? Thelma wonders if Louise is really that naive. THELMA Oh, come on, Louise... psycho killers, bears... snakes! I just don't know how to use it. So will you take care of it? Louise reaches over and takes the gun out of Thelma's purse and holds it in her hand. She tests the weight of it, and then puts it under the seat. Thelma puts the bullets under the seat. They are speeding off down the highway with the RADIO blaring. Louise puts in a TAPE of wild R&B MUSIC. THELMA Whose place is this again? LOUISE It's Bob's, the day manager's. He's gettin' a divorce, so his wife's gettin' this place, so he's just lettin' all his friends use it till he has to turn over the keys. THELMA I've never had the chance to go out of town without Darryl. LOUISE How come he let you go? THELMA 'Cause I didn't ask him. LOUISE Aw, shit, Thelma, he's gonna kill you. THELMA Well, he has never let me go. He never lets me do one goddamn thing that's any fun. All he wants me to do is hang around the house the whole time while he's out doing God only knows what. They are both silent for a minute. THELMA (looking straight ahead) I left him a note. I left him stuff to microwave. After a pause. THELMA I guess you haven't heard anything from Jimmy... yet? Louise's jaw tightens. The car speeds up. THELMA ... never mind. A huge semi-tanker carrying gas passes them on the highway and HONKS. The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes of naked women. There is a bumper sticker on the back that says: "Lick you all over -- ten cents." LOUISE One of your friends? Thelma is watching herself in the side mirror, pretending to smoke a cigarette. THELMA'S POV OF A SIGN alongside the road that reads "See you in church on Sunday!" Thelma pushes in the lighter and waits for it to pop out. Louise gives her a sidelong glance, but does not say anything. INT. CAR - COUNTRY ROAD - DAY THELMA How much longer is it gonna be? I'm hungry. LOUISE Another hour of so. We've got enough food for a month. THELMA I'll never make it... Can't we stop just for a few minutes... LOUISE We've not gonna get to the cabin till after dark as it is, Thelma. THELMA Then what difference does it make if we stop? Come on. I never get to do stuff like this. Louise realizes that Thelma is going to revert to a teenager and continue whining unless she gives in. LOUISE Alright, but it's gonna be a quick stop. EXT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT They pull off at a place down on the right all lit up with neon. It's called the SILVER BULLET. The sign flashes COCKTAILS -- BEER -- DANCING -- FOOD. There is a huge gravel parking lot with lots of pickup trucks and older cars. Even though it's early, you can tell this place is a real night spot. It's already pretty crowded. INT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT This place is jumpin'. There are ten pool tables with crowds all around. The long bar is filled with customers. There are tables and booths. The room is dense with smoke. There is a dance floor, but no one is dancing yet because the band is still setting up. There are a lot of single men. Many heads turn and follow Thelma and Louise to an empty table. LOUISE I haven't seen a place like this since I left Texas. THELMA Isn't this fun? A WAITRESS comes over and drops two menus on the table. WAITRESS Y'all wanna drink? LOUISE No thanks. THELMA I'll have Wild Turkey straight up and a Coke back, please. As the Waitress leaves: LOUISE Thelma! THELMA Tell me somethin'. Is this my vacation or isn't it? I mean, God, you're as bad as Darryl. LOUISE I just haven't seen you like this in a while. I'm used to seeing you more sedate. THELMA Well, I've had it up to my ass with sedate! You said you and me was gonna get outta town and, for once, just really let our hair down. Well, darlin,' look out 'cause my hair is comin' down! As the Waitress returns: LOUISE (laughing) Alright... (to Waitress) I changed my mind. I'll have a margarita with and a shot of Cuervo on the side, please. THELMA Yeah! As the Waitress leaves, a MAN comes over with a chair which he pulls up to the table and straddles backwards. He is in his late-40's, heavyset, his face is shiny in the neon light. MAN Now what are a couple of Kewpie dolls like you doin' in a place like this? LOUISE THELMA Mindin' our own Well, we left town for business, why the weekend 'cause we don't you try it. wanted to try and have a good time. And because Louise here is mad because her boyfriend won't call her while he's out on the road... Louise kicks Thelma under the table. THELMA (quieter) We just wanted to get somethin' to eat. MAN Well, you come to the right place. You like chili? They got good chili. The Waitress returns with Louise's drink. WAITRESS Harlan, are you botherin' these poor girls? HARLAN (MAN) Hell, no. I was just bein' friendly. WAITRESS (making eye contact with Louise) It's a good thing they're not all as friendly as you. Louise understands. THELMA Your name's Harlan? I got an uncle named Harlan! HARLAN You do? Is he a funny uncle? 'Cause if he is, then he and I got somethin' in common. Harlan laughs. Thelma laughs, too, but doesn't really get the joke. Louise does not laugh. LOUISE (to Harlan) I don't mean to be rude, but I've got something I need to talk to my friend about. In private. HARLAN Aw, I understand. I didn't mean to bother ya. It's just hard not to notice two such pretty ladies as yourselves. (standing, to Thelma) You better dance with me before you leave, or I'll never forgive you. THELMA Oh, sure. That'd be fun. Harlan leaves, then: THELMA Jeez, Louise, that wasn't very nice. LOUISE Can't you tell when somebody's hittin' on you? THELMA So what if he was? It's all your years of waitin' tables has made you jaded, that's all. LOUISE Maybe. THELMA Well, just relax, will ya. You're makin' me nervous. Thelma knocks back her shot of Wild Turkey and holds up her glass to the Waitress to bring her another one. The Waitress sees her and nods. She turns back to face her friend. THELMA So, Jimmy still hasn't called yet? LOUISE Givin' him a taste of his own medicine. Asshole. THELMA I'm sorry, Louise. I know you're all upset. It's just I'm so excited to be out of the house, I guess. (pause) I wonder if Darryl's home yet. LOUISE I wonder if Jimmy's gotten back. THELMA Why don't you tell him to just to get lost once and for all? LOUISE Why don't you ditch that loser husband of yours? They both drift off momentarily, contemplating their domestic problems, until the Waitress comes over: WAITRESS (rolling her eyes) This one's on Harlan. Thelma looks over at the bar where Harlan is grinning at her, making dancing motions. She smiles and waves at him. Her face becomes serious again as she turns back to Louise. THELMA Jimmy'll come in off the road, you won't be there, he'll freak out and call you a hundred thousand times, and Sunday night you'll call him back and, by Monday. He'll be kissin' the ground you walk on. Thelma's mind goes too fast for her mouth, and the speed at which she speaks can be staggering. Louise is used to it. Louise smiles wistfully at Thelma's assessment of the situation. LOUISE Exactly. THELMA In the meantime, you said we were gonna have some fun. So let's have some! She again drinks her whole shot of Wild Turkey and holds up her glass, as the BAND strikes up a lively tune. Practically the whole place "whoops" and heads for the dance floor. Louise drinks her shot of tequila and holds up her glass, too. LATER Thelma is dancing with Harlan and has been for quite a while. Louise has been dancing with a quiet guy named DAN. Thelma is breathless, drunk and giggly. She holds a beer bottle in one hand. She is laughing a lot about nothing, and Harlan is studying her closely. Louise notices this. LOUISE (over the noise) Thelma, I'm gonna hit the little girls' room, and then we gotta hit the road. THELMA (eyes closed, swaying with the music) Ready when you are. Louise heads off to the bathroom. THELMA (eyes still closed) Louise, I'm gonna come with you. (she gets a funny look on her face) I don't feel so good. She stumbles a step and drops her beer bottle. Louise is heading towards the bathroom, where there is a line of at least fifteen women in front of her. HARLAN (catching Thelma, copping feels) Oopsy-doopsy. We need to get you some fresh air, little lady. He steers her towards the door. Louise leans against the wall, waiting in line. CUT TO: EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - NIGHT Harlan is hauling Thelma out the door into the parking lot. She is pretty limp. THELMA Oh shit. HARLAN What's wrong? THELMA Stop. HARLAN What for? THELMA I'm spinning. INT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT The Waitress is going over to their table. She picks up Thelma's purse off the floor and puts it on her chair. She sets the check on the table, looks around to see if she can see them and walks away. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Louise goes into the bathroom. She stands in front of the sink and looks at herself in the mirror. EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT Thelma has been sick. She has Harlan's handkerchief and is wiping her mouth. Harlan has backed off for this part, but he's right back in there. HARLAN How you feelin' now, darlin'? Harlan is leaning close to Thelma's head, and she pulls her head away. THELMA I guess I'm startin' to feel a little better. HARLAN Yeah, you're startin' to feel pretty good to me, too. He pulls her to him and tries to put his arms around her. Thelma pulls away. THELMA (uncomfortable) I think I need to keep walking. INT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT Louise comes out of the bathroom as the next woman goes in. She scans the room looking for Thelma. She doesn't see her. She goes over to the table and sees Thelma's stuff there. She picks up the check and looks at it. EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - NIGHT Harlan has led Thelma off to the far end of the parking lot. He is trying to kiss her now. He is pushing her arms down and turning her head away. THELMA Don't. I'm married. I don't feel good. I've been sick. HARLAN It's okay. I'm married, too. Harlan is pushing himself on her now, and she is beginning to push him away harder. INT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT Louise is paying the Waitress. The Waitress is shaking her head, indicating she hasn't seen Thelma either. Louise picks up Thelma's stuff and heads towards the door. EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - NIGHT Harlan has now pinned Thelma against the back of a car and is kissing her neck. He has her ass in his hands. He is beginning to hump her. She is pushing him away as hard as she can, but he is relentless. HARLAN (breathing heavily) You're beautiful. It's okay. I won't hurt you. It's okay. THELMA (struggling) Stop it! Goddamnit, I mean it! Louise is gonna wonder where I am. Let go! HARLAN Louise is alright. LOUISE is now standing outside the door of the Silver Bullet. She is looking around. HARLAN is pulling at Thelma's clothes. Thelma gets one of her arms free and hits him hard in the face. He hits her back and grabs her face, squeezing it hard. HARLAN Don't you hit me! Don't you fucking hit me! There is no trace of friendliness in his face now. He looks mean and dangerous. He lets go of her face and pins her arms behind her. He holds both of her arms with one hand. HARLAN You just shut up. With his free hand, he reaches down and starts to pull her dress up. Thelma is still struggling and there are tears running down her face. THELMA Don't hurt me. Harlan. Please. HARLAN Shut up. He turns her around, pushing her face down onto the back of the car. He holds both her arms in one hand and continues pulling her dress up over her hips. He starts to undo his pants as we hear the CRUNCH of gravel. LOUISE (O.S.) Let her go. HARLAN Get lost. THELMA Louise! TIGHT SHOT of the barrel of Thelma's gun being pressed into the nape of Harlan's neck. Louise's thumb pulls back the hammer. LOUISE You let her go, you fat fucking asshole, or I'm gonna splatter your ugly face all over this nice car. Harlan slowly raises his hands in the air, and Thelma darts out, pulling her dress down. HARLAN Now, calm down. We were just havin' a little fun. Louise glances at Thelma. Thelma shakes her head no. LOUISE Looks like you've got a real fucked up idea of fun. Now turn around. Louise starts to back away, but the gun is still close to his face. His pants are undone in the front. She is still backing away with the gun raised. Thelma is inching away as well. LOUISE Just for the future, when a woman's crying like that, she's not having any fun! Louise lowers the gun and stares at him for a second. Then she turns and walks away. Thelma does, too. HARLAN (pulling up his pants) Bitch. I should have gone ahead and fucked her. Louise stops in her tracks. LOUISE What did you say? HARLAN I said suck my cock. Louise takes two long strides back towards him, raises the gun and FIRES a bullet into his face. We hear his body HIT the gravel parking lot. LOUISE'S POV. The car behind him is splattered with blood. Thelma and Louise are both silent. We hear the SOUND of the nightclub in the distance. Louise lowers the gun. THELMA Oh my God. LOUISE Get the car. THELMA Jesus Christ! Louise, you shot him. LOUISE Get the car! Thelma runs to get the car. LOUISE (quietly, to herself) You watch your mouth, buddy. Thelma comes careening up in reverse. Louise hops in and Thelma PEELS OUT, spraying gravel. As they speed out of the parking lot back to the road, we hear MUSIC blaring from the nightclub. They hit the main road with tires SQUEALING. LOUISE Get back to the interstate. Louise lifts her hand and notices she is still holding the gun. THELMA Shit! I... I, which way? LOUISE West. Left. EXT. CAR - DISTANCING SHOT - NIGHT They get onto the interstate going west. TRAVELING SHOT FROM BEHIND -- VARIOUS DRIVING SHOTS INT. CAR - NIGHT Louise picks up the handkerchief from the car seat and wipes the gun off. Her movements are as if in slow motion. She puts the gun under the seat. Thelma is watching her. THELMA Louise. Louise does not answer. THELMA Louise. Where are we going? LOUISE (shaking) I don't know, Thelma! I don't know! Just shut up a minute so I can think. Thelma starts to cry quietly. THELMA Shouldn't we go to the cops? I mean, I think we should tell the police. LOUISE Tell them what?! What, Thelma? What do you think we should tell them? THELMA I don't know. Just tell 'em what happened. LOUISE Which part? THELMA All of it. That he tried to rape me. LOUISE Only about a hundred people saw you cheek to goddamn cheek with him all night, Thelma! Who's gonna believe that?! We just don't live in that kind of world. Pull over! EXT. INTERSTATE - NIGHT Thelma pulls off to the side of the road. Louise gets out and starts to walk around the car. She stops when she gets to the back of the car, and she is sick. Thelma waits in the car and moves over to the passenger side. Louise gets in the driver's side. THELMA Louise... Are you alright? Louise rests her head on the steering wheel. LOUISE Oh Christ. (to Thelma) Thelma. Thelma doesn't hear. LOUISE Thelma. Thelma looks at her blankly, without answering. LOUISE I've gotta stop for a minute. I've got to get it together. I'm gonna find a place to get a cup of coffee and I'm gonna sit down for a second. Do you want to come? Thelma's head moves almost imperceptibly. Louise studies Thelma's face. LOUISE Is that yes? Are you up to this? Again, Thelma slightly moves her head in a nod. Louise puts the car in gear and pulls OUT OF SHOT. EXT. TRUCK STOP - RESTAURANT - NIGHT The green '66 T-Bird pulls into a modern truck stop and parks. Louise turns to Thelma. LOUISE We gotta be inconspicuous. Do you know what that means? THELMA Yes. LOUISE It means you don't talk to anybody. You don't draw attention to yourself in any way. Do you understand that? Again, she twitches more than nods. LOUISE Tell me you understand that. Thelma nods more firmly now. She understands. VARIOUS POV SHOTS of truck drivers seeing Thelma and Louise wind their way towards the restaurant portion of the coffee shop. They look small and incongruous with the surroundings. INT. TRUCK STOP - TIGHT SHOT - WAITRESS' HANDS - 4 A.M. slamming dirty coffee cups from the counter into a bus tray underneath the counter. REVEAL Louise and Thelma sitting at the counter. Louise is looking at a map. The car is parked outside, near the door. LOUISE (halfway to herself) We have to think this through. We have to be smart. Now is not the time to panic. If we panic now, we're done for. Nobody saw it. Nobody knows it was us. We're still okay. Now all we have to do is just figure out our next move. THELMA Our next move? I'll say one thing, Louise. This is some vacation. I sure am having a good time. This is real fun. LOUISE If you weren't so concerned with having a good time, we wouldn't be here right now. THELMA Just what is that supposed to mean? LOUISE It means shut up, Thelma. THELMA So this is all my fault, is it. Louise looks at Thelma for a long time. LOUISE Just shut up. The Waitress comes and fills their coffee cups. Thelma stands up to go to the bathroom. She grabs her purse from the counter, and the strap catches on her coffee cup and it falls to the floor with a CRASH. All heads turn and look at her. THELMA I have to go to the bathroom. I... Sorry. HOLD on Louise. EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - 4:00 A.M. Police cars are parked around. The activity has died down. Doors on the coroner's van SLAM shut. In the back of a police car sits the Waitress with the door open. A DETECTIVE in a suit leans over the car door with his note pad. HAL Could you identify 'em, if ya saw 'em again? LENA (WAITRESS) Hal, I've told you about twenty times, yes, I could identify 'em, but neither one of them was the type to pull something like this. HAL Well, you're not exactly an expert witness, but what makes you so sure? LENA If waitin' tables in a bar don't make you an expert on human nature, then nothin' will, and I could've told you that Harlan Puckett would end up buyin' it in a parkin' lot. I'm just surprised it didn't happen before now. HAL Who do you think did it? LENA Has anybody asked his wife? She's the one I hope did it. HAL Lena, just cut the bullshit, will ya? Do have any ideas or don't ya? I been standin' in this stupid parkin' lot all goddamn night, and I still got to go file a report before I can go home in time to get back up again! LENA Well, if I had to guess, I'd say it was some ol' gal, some ol' gal's husband. But it wasn't either one of those two. The tall one, the redhead, she left me a huge tip. HAL You didn't happen to notice what kind of car they were driving? LENA It's a nightclub, not a drive-in, Hal. I don't follow the customers to the parking lot. HAL Alright, Lena. Go on home. We might have to call you in for some more questioning. Lena gets out of the back of the car. LENA Those girls are not the murderous type. INT. PAY PHONE - NIGHT Outside the bathroom there is a pay phone. Thelma picks it up and dials. THELMA (into phone) Collect from Thelma. There is no answer. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - NIGHT Phone RINGS. VARIOUS SHOTS of the interior of the empty Dickinson house: THE BEDROOM exactly as Thelma left it. The drawer of the nightstand still open. THE NOTE TO DARRYL taped to the refrigerator. The interior of the microwave with a now completely thawed microwave dinner still in the package in a little puddle. INT. TRUCK STOP - NIGHT THELMA Thanks. I'll try later. She hangs up and goes into the bathroom. As the door closes behind her, Louise comes up with a handful of change and starts putting it into the phone. She dials a number. It RINGS for a long time. She hangs up and goes into the bathroom. She looks at herself in the mirror. She notices a tiny speck on her cheek. She takes a paper towel and wets it and rubs the spot. She looks at the towel and there is a bright red streak. LOUISE Thelma... Come on, Thelma! The door of the stall flies open and Thelma comes charging out and heads straight for the door, without even looking at Louise. Louise charges out after her. They head out of the restaurant and, THROUGH THE WINDOW, we see them get into the car and drive away. EXT. CAR - DRIVING SHOT - DAWN The T-Bird barrels down a fairly empty four-lane highway. A truck passes going the other way. INT. CAR - DAWN The top is down on the car, and Thelma is slouched on the seat, her hair blowing wildly. LOUISE We're gonna go to the next town and stop. We'll get a motel room. I can rest for a while and then figure out how to get some money. We're gonna need money. Thelma. How much money do you have with you? THELMA What? Oh, I don't know. Let me look. Thelma is rummaging through her purse. She finds her wallet and takes it out. Thelma finds some bills stuffed in the change compartment and takes them out. She straightens the money out. THELMA Sixty-four dollars. As she is counting it, one of the bills flies out of her hands. Thelma's not that good at handling money. THELMA Umm. Shit. Forty-four dollars. Louise has not noticed any of this. She is so intent on her driving. THELMA I'm cash poor. LOUISE Hmmm. We gotta get some money. EXT. MOTEL - ESTABLISHING SHOT - DAY The motel is near farms and agricultural areas with crops. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY (6 A.M.) The curtains are open and we can see the car parked right outside the room. Thelma is lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling. Louise is bustling around the room, putting things in drawers. THELMA Why are you unpacking? You said we were just gonna take a nap. Louise did not realize she was doing it. LOUISE Oh, I don't know. I'm just nervous. I gotta figure out what to do. THELMA Well, when you figure it out, wake me up. LOUISE Just what the hell is wrong with you? Louise slams the closet door. Thelma jumps. THELMA What do you mean? LOUISE Why are you actin' like this? THELMA Actin' like what?! How am I supposed to act? 'Scuse me for not knowing what to do after you blow somebody's head off! They are silent for a moment. LOUISE You could help me try and figure it out! I gotta figure out what to do, and you could try and help me. THELMA I suggested we go to the police, but you didn't like that; so, frankly, Louise, I'm all out of ideas. LOUISE Well, what's the big rush, Thelma? If we just give 'em some time, they'll come to us...! Oh Christ. I'm just not ready to go to jail yet. Why don't you go out to the pool or something and I'll figure it out... THELMA Give me the keys. LOUISE You're not touchin' that car. THELMA My stuff's in the trunk! God! You care more about that car than you do about most people. LOUISE Most people just cause me trouble, but that car always gets me out of it. INT. POLICE GARAGE - DAY Hal is at the police station where they're dusting the car with Harlan all over it for prints. Hal looks closely at the back of the car. He holds his hands over two sets of hand prints. He moves his hands to the outside of the prints so as not to smear them, and puts his hands on the car. His face is one inch away from the trunk. He sees a very clear drop of blood. It's different than any of the other blood splatters on the car. He calls the identification technician over and points it out. HAL (pointing) What's that? The I.D. TECH comes over and looks and shrugs his shoulders. I.D. TECH Blood? HAL Whose? I.D. TECH His, I guess... Hal makes a face like he suddenly felt a slight toothache. He stares at the guy. HAL You guess? Hal takes out a black sharpie and draws a circle around the area of the black smudge and the drop of blood. He shakes his head slightly. EXT. MOTEL - DAY Thelma comes out of the room and walks towards the pool. She stops, then decides to go on to the pool. She lies down in a lounge chair facing the road. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY Louise in the motel room. She's looking at the phone. She picks it up and dials it and watches herself in the mirror. She stares as if she's trying to see into herself, see through herself. EXT. MOTEL POOL - DAY Thelma arranges herself in a lounge chair, trying desperately to feel like she's on vacation. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY ANSWERING MACHINE (V.O.) Hi. This is Jimmy. I'm not here right now... A VOICE interrupts the message: JIMMY (V.O.) Hello! I'm here. Hang on a minute! The machine switches OFF. INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY JIMMY, mid-30's, musician, is standing in the kitchen on the phone. He's not the type you'd expect Louise to like, not quite straight-looking enough. LOUISE (V.O.) (on phone) Jimmy... INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY Louise is looking at herself on the phone in the mirror. She is very choked up. JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) Louise! Where are you? Are you alright? Honey... LOUISE Hi. I'm okay. How are you? Long time no see. JIMMY (V.O.) Louise, honey... Where are you? You sound funny. Louise is still looking at herself in the mirror, as if she's never seen herself before. LOUISE I am funny. I'm real funny. JIMMY (V.O.) Are you in town? This sounds long distance. LOUISE No, I'm out of town. I'm in... I'm in real deep shit, Jimmy. Deep shit Arkansas. JIMMY (V.O.) Louise, just tell me what the hell is going on here! I come back, nobody knows where you are. Is Thelma with you? Darryl's been callin' here every half-hour sayin' he's gonna kill you both when you get back, he's goin' nuts. I don't envy her if she is. EXT. MOTEL POOL - DAY Thelma at pool basking in the sun. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) Where'd y'all go? LOUISE Fishing. Look, Jimmy... I need you to help me. This is serious. I'm in trouble and I need you to help me. Can you do that? INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY Jimmy is shocked by the gravity of her tone of voice. He realizes this is very serious. JIMMY Yes, yes, darlin'. I can help you. Tell me where you are. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY Louise covers the mouthpiece with her hand. She is trying very hard not to cry. LOUISE I have a savings account with about sixty-seven hundred dollars in it. Now I know you won't be able to get it out, but I'm good for it. I need that money. Can you wire me the sixty-seven hundred dollars and I'll pay you back? Please, I'm desperate. JIMMY (V.O.) What the fuck is going on? LOUISE Something real bad has happened and I can't tell you what, just that it's bad and I did it and I can't undo it. Can you help me? JIMMY (V.O.) Of course. Of course! Where? Can't I bring it to you? For God's sake, baby, please, just tell me what's happened, what could possibly be so bad? Louise sits on the edge of the bed. She is looking at her hand. LOUISE Jimmy? She takes the ring that she wears on her left hand and turns it around backwards to make it look like a wedding band. LOUISE Do you love me? JIMMY (V.O.) Christ, sure... yes! LOUISE Wire it to the Western Union in Oklahoma City, INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY JIMMY You're in Oklahoma?! LOUISE (V.O.) Not yet. JIMMY Louise, let me call you back after I wire it, so you'll know which office to go to. LOUISE (V.O.) Can't it go to any office? JIMMY No, for that much money I have to tell them exactly which office. I know, I've had to have money wired to me on the road. And there has to be a code word or they won't give it to you. I'll have to tell you the code. INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY LOUISE Tell me now. JIMMY (V.O.) Call me back. LOUISE Okay. I'll call you back. In an hour. Don't tell Darryl. JIMMY (V.O.) I know. Call me back. Louise, I love you, okay? LOUISE Okay. EXT. MOTEL POOL - DAY Thelma by the pool. A car SCREECHES, a loud horn HONKS. LOUISE (bellowing) Come on, Thelma! Get in the car! Thelma bolts upright and grabs her sundress and dashes to the car. She jumps in over the door. She's in a mild state of shock. THELMA Did you finish thinking? LOUISE I think better when I drive. Louise PEELS OUT of the parking lot. INT. POLICE STATION - MAJOR'S OFFICE - DAY Hal is in the office talking to his superior. He stands in front of the desk with his hands in his pockets while his MAJOR sits behind the desk looking troubled. HAL All we know is there were two women in a green T-Bird convertible that turned left out of the parking lot, going real fast. We're trying to get a make on the car, but nothin' yet. So far, we got nothin'. MAJOR Well, you'd best get something. Even if they didn't do it, it times out that they most likely witnessed it. I want somebody to at least talk to 'em. Put out an APB with a description and see what we get back. HAL Alright. MAJOR Is there any reason to believe they've left the state? HAL That's certainly possible. MAJOR Why don't we go ahead and let the bureau in on this. HAL I have no problem with that. MAJOR Somebody's butt is gonna bar-b-que. EXT. CAR - FARMLAND - DRIVING SHOT - DAY INT. CAR - DAY THELMA Don't get mad, Louise, but where are we going? LOUISE Oklahoma City. Jimmy's gonna wire me some money, and then... THELMA You talked to him?! Is he mad? Did you tell him? LOUISE No, I didn't tell him. And that's something we gotta get straight. Darryl's been callin', mad as a hornet, makin' all kinds of noise. When you talk to him, you cannot say anything about this. You gotta make sure everything sounds normal. THELMA I called the asshole at 4:00 in the morning and he wasn't even home. I don't know what he's got to be mad about. I'm the one who should be mad. LOUISE I've been tellin' you that for the last ten years. THELMA Do you think Darryl's having an affair? LOUISE I don't think Darryl is mature enough to conduct an affair. THELMA But you think he fools around. LOUISE Thelma, I'm going to Mexico. I think I can make it in two and a half days, but I'm going to have to haul ass. Are you up to this? I mean, I have to know. This isn't a game. I'm in deep shit. I gotta know what you're gonna do. THELMA I... I don't know. I don't know what you're askin' me. LOUISE Don't you fall apart on me. Goddamnit, Thelma. Every time we get in trouble, you go blank or plead insanity or some such shit, and this time... Not this time. Everything's changed now... Now you can do whatever you want, but I'm going to Mexico. I'm going. Are you coming with me? Thelma is staring down the road. She does not answer. Then: THELMA I think he does. Fool around. EXT. CAR - FARMLAND - DRIVING SHOT - DAY INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY TIGHT SHOT of an "indent-a-kit" likeness of Louise. On a table nearby lies a drawing strongly resembling Thelma. Lena, the waitress, sits next to the plain-clothes cop who holds the indent-a-kit. Hal picks up the drawing and studies it closely. EXT. SMALL COUNTRY TOWN - DAY The T-Bird rolls into town. EXT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY Louise and Thelma pull up in front of an old store, the kind with a wooden front porch, the kind that sells bait and flannel shirts. They enter the store and see an OLD MAN behind the counter. LOUISE Do you have a pay phone? OLD MAN 'Round the side, by the restrooms. Louise gets change while Thelma strolls around looking at rubber worms and pickled pigs' feet. Louise goes out to the phone. EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY Louise dropping change into the phone. It RINGS and Jimmy answers. INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY JIMMY Louise! EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY LOUISE Is that how you answer the phone? JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) I got it. I was afraid I'd missed you. I almost couldn't get a check cashed. It's Saturday. LOUISE Who did it? JIMMY (V.O.) Friend of mine, owns a club. Dickie Randall. You'd know him if you saw him. His brother was in your class. Terry. LOUISE You didn't say what it was for, did you? JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) No, honey. I told him I was buyin' a car. What is it for? LOUISE (not responding to the question) Good. That was good. Where do I go? JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) It's a place called Shaw's Siesta Motel. The address is 1921 North East 23. It's under your name. LOUISE And what's the mysterious code word? JIMMY (V.O.) (on phone) Peaches. LOUISE What? JIMMY (V.O.) That's the code word. I miss you, peaches. Louise rolls her eyes and tries not to melt. LOUISE Okay, Jimmy. Thanks. She puts her finger down on the receiver. INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY Jimmy is still holding the phone to his ear. JIMMY Louise? INT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY Thelma in store buying gum, beef jerky. Next to the cash register on the counter on display are those little tiny bottles of liquor. Thelma picks up a little bottle of Wild Turkey and puts in on the counter. The Old Man rings it up. She takes another one and puts it on the counter. The Old Man is still ringing stuff up. She takes two more and puts them on the counter. She takes the rest of the little bottles of Wild Turkey out of the display and puts them on the counter. She takes one little bottle of Cuervo and puts it down on the counter, too. The Old Man finally looks at her. From the wall behind him, he takes a pint of Wild Turkey down. OLD MAN Ma'am, are you sure you wouldn't rather have the large economy size? EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY Louise is hanging up the phone. She walks away towards the front of the store. EXT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY Thelma comes out of the front of the store. The store is at a crossroads with a fair amount of vehicular traffic. LOUISE Go call Darryl. Thelma is walking towards the car. She puts her purse in the front seat. She looks at Louise. THELMA Call him? LOUISE Call him. Don't tell him anything. Tell him you're having a wonderful time and you'll be home tomorrow night. THELMA Will I be? LOUISE I don't know. I won't be. Thelma and Louise look at each other while this sinks in. THELMA walks around to the side of the building to the phone. She picks it up and dials. THELMA (into phone) Collect from Thelma. EXT. STOREFRONT - DAY Louise goes into the store for a chocolate Yoohoo. EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY THELMA Honey? INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Darryl in the den of their house. The room is a mess. There are beer cans everywhere. The large screen TV is ON, showing a FOOTBALL GAME. Darryl is in a recliner. He is wearing loud shorts, a V-necked T-shirt, and a couple of necklaces and bracelets. DARRYL Goddamnit, Thelma, where in the Sam Hill are you?! EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY THELMA I'm... I'm with Louise. We're in the mountains, we're... INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY DARRYL (interrupting) What in the hell do you think you're doing? Have you lost your goddamn mind?! Is that it? I leave for work and you take complete leave of your senses? EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY THELMA Darryl... baby... Darryl, calm down now, honey. Please don't get so mad. I can explain... INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Darryl is mad, but he's still watching the game. DARRYL Hold on. Hold on a minute, damnit. He covers the mouthpiece and watches a play where "his team" fumbles the ball. This only makes him madder. He puts the phone back to his ear in time to hear Thelma say: THELMA (V.O.) ... only for one day and we'll be back tomorrow night. DARRYL No you won't. You'll be back today. Now! You get your ass back here, Thelma, now, Goddamnit. Thelma, do you understand me? EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY Thelma is trying not to cry. She's trying to be strong. THELMA Darryl, please... You're my husband, not my father, Darryl. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY DARRYL (interrupting) That does it! That Louise is nothin' but a bad influence. If you're not back here tonight, Goddamnit, Thelma... well, I just don't wanna say... Neither one of them say anything for a moment. DARRYL Thelma? EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY THELMA Darryl. DARRYL (V.O.) What? THELMA Go fuck yourself. She hangs up on him. EXT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY Thelma has tears running down her face and she is watching the ground as she storms back to the car. So she makes a loud grunt as she slams into someone that she did not see. Both people are knocked back a few steps from the force of the collision. HITCHHIKER Whoa! Excuse me! Miss, are you alright? Thelma nods her head "yes," but tears continue. Her crying is silent. HITCHHIKER Is there anything I can do? Thelma shakes her head "no." She tries to control her tears. She notices how blue his eyes are. THELMA No. Thanks. Sorry. THELMA collects herself as she walks back to the car. She gets in and is drying her eyes, looking in the side mirror. In the mirror she sees the Hitchhiker come back around from the side of the building. He is several feet behind the car, and she watches him as he removes his long-sleeved shirt and stuffs it into his duffel bag. Now he is just in T-shirt and jeans. He looks good. Really good. She watches in the mirror as he picks up his stuff and heads towards the road. She can see him as he's walking. He stops. He's thinking. He heads over to the car. HITCHHIKER Would you mind me asking which direction you and your friend are going? I'm trying to get back to school and my ride fell through, so I'm kinda stuck. Are you going my way? Thelma doesn't know what to do. THELMA Umm. I think we're going to Oklahoma City. But I'm not sure. HITCHHIKER Do you think you could... I mean, I could help pay for gas. Thelma knows Louise isn't going to like this. THELMA Ummm. Well, see, it's not really up to me. It's not my car. Umm, we'll have to ask my friend, but she'll probably say no. She's a little uptight. HITCHHIKER Well. Maybe we better not ask her. But thank you anyway. Now she wants him to come. He starts to walk away from the car. THELMA Well, we can ask her. That won't hurt. Just then Louise comes out of the store. She sees Thelma talking to this guy and, for one moment, stops dead in her tracks as she takes this in, then continues toward the car. Although her face is basically expressionless, we see that it's possible she might kill Thelma. THELMA Louise, this young man is on his way back to school and needs a ride, and I thought since... LOUISE It's probably not a good idea. THELMA Louise. The Hitchhiker just nods and starts walking towards the road. HITCHHIKER Y'all have a nice day. Drive safe. The guy does seem really nice and Thelma is really frustrated that Louise wouldn't give him a ride, but decides not to confront her. THELMA See how polite he is? He was really nice. Louise lowers the top and backs the car out. They watch him walk away. Louise pulls out of the parking lot onto the road. They pass the Hitchhiker. Thelma waves. HITCHHIKER (to Thelma) You cheer up now! She turns around in the seat to continue waving. He smiles and waves. They drive down the road. TIGHT SHOT of the Hitchhiker as the smile fades from his face. CUT TO: INT. CAR - DRIVING - DAY Thelma looking sulky. THELMA I wish we could've brought him with us. LOUISE What did Darryl say? THELMA (sarcastically) He said "Okay, Thelma. I just wanted to know you were alright. I hope you're havin' a good time. You sure deserve one after puttin' up with me all the time. I love you, honey." Louise doesn't say anything. THELMA How long before we're in Goddamn Mexico? INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Hal goes over a list of every registered green T-Bird in the state. INSERT - COMPUTER MONITOR Names are scrolling by as Hal stares blankly at the screen. We see the name LOUISE ELIZABETH SAWYER scroll past. It means nothing to Hal. INT. CAR - DAY It's twenty minutes later. They are clear of the town. Thelma is like a dog with a bone. She just won't let it drop. THELMA I just don't see what it would hurt just to give somebody a ride. Did you see his butt? Darryl doesn't have a cute butt. You could park a car in the shadow of his ass. LOUISE I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood for company right now. Here. Take this map. I need you to find all the secondary roads to Mexico from Oklahoma City. I think we should stay off the interstates. We're too conspicuous. THELMA (taking map) Well, it looks like we can get on this road 81 that heads down towards Dallas, then cut over to... LOUISE (interrupting) I don't want to go that way. Find a way that we don't have to go through Texas. THELMA (looking at map) Wait. What? You want to go to Mexico from Oklahoma and you don't want to go through Texas? LOUISE You know how I feel about Texas... We're not going that way. THELMA I know, Louise, but we're running for our lives! Don't you think you could make an exception just this once?! I mean, look at the map. The only thing between Oklahoma and Mexico is Texas! LOUISE Thelma! I'm not gonna talk about this! Now find another way or give me the goddamn map and I will! You understand? THELMA No, Louise. How come you never said what happened? Louise is completely unreasonable on this subject and Thelma is totally puzzled by Louise's reaction but is reluctant to press her further. LOUISE I... I just... I just don't think it's the place I wanna get caught for doin' something like... if you blow a guy's head off with his pants down, believe me, Texas is the last place you wanna get caught! Trust me! Now, I said, I don't wanna talk about it!! Louise looks very shaken up. She keeps her eyes on the road but she's holding the steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles are white. She does not look at Thelma. Suddenly she reaches over and locks her door. Thelma flinches imperceptibly at this gesture. THELMA Okay. We'll go around Texas to get to Mexico. This is crazy. EXT. ROAD - FARMLAND - DAY Two Harley-Davidson bikes tool past, driven by a couple of ex-hippies from the 60's. The Hitchhiker is on the back of one, and he waves to them as they go by. Thelma waves back enthusiastically. THELMA I'll tell you what. He is gooood lookin'. Louise pops a TAPE into the cassette player. EXT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY Hal walks up the sidewalk past a couple of elderly people sitting outside, to the door of an apartment complex and knocks. INT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT - DAY VARIOUS SHOTS of Louise's empty apartment. There are pictures of Louise and Thelma in high school. The kitchen is spotless and nothing is out on the counters. HER BED is unwrinkled, perfect, and next to it on her nightstand is a picture of Jimmy and her in a small heart shaped frame. Everything is extremely neat and orderly. EXT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY Hal is walking back down the sidewalk past the old people. He stops, turns around and goes back to them. We see him stand and talk to them. OVER MUSIC: INT. CAR - DAY Thelma and Louise are singing along with the MUSIC. THELMA/LOUISE (pointing) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! EXT. CROSSROADS - DAY Hitchhiker standing on the side of the road. Thelma looks at Louise pleadingly. Louise's car pulls over and he hops in the back seat. An animated Thelma turns around backwards in the front seat to face him. INT./ EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Hal walks into the coffee shop where Louise works. VARIOUS SHOTS of him talking to other employees. Albert, waitress, etc. Some cover their mouths as they recognize police sketches of Louise and Thelma. The Day Manager comes over, looks at the pictures and talks to Hal. INT. CAR Thelma passing out beef jerky and Wild Turkey to Hitchhiker and Louise. EXT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Hal's unmarked detective car pulls up in front of Thelma's house. A Corvette, completely customized with everything, sits in the driveway. INT. CAR Hitchhiker leans over resting his chin on the back of the front seat. THELMA So J.D., what are you studying in school? J.D. Human nature. I'm majoring in behavioral science. LOUISE And whaddya wanna be when ya grow up? J.D. A waiter. Louise laughs. He has charmed her too. EXT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Hal is walking up the sidewalk as the front door flies open to reveal a drunk Darryl in Hawaiian shorts, necklaces and a beer can in his hand. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Hal and Darryl in den. The TV DRONES in the b.g. Pictures and papers are on the table. TIGHT SHOT of Darryl's face. DARRYL What?! CUT TO: INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DEN - DAY EXTREME CLOSEUP of Darryl's face. DARRYL What?!! EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY - DAY J.D. (to Thelma) So how come you don't have any kids? THELMA Darryl, that's my husband, he says he's not ready. He's still too much of a kid himself. He prides himself on being infantile. LOUISE He's got a lot to be proud of. THELMA Louise and Darryl don't get along. LOUISE That's puttin' it mildly. THELMA She thinks he's a pig. LOUISE He's a real piece o' work. I wish you could meet him. J.D. Did you get married real young? THELMA Twenty-four isn't young. I'd already been goin' out with him ten years when we got married. I've never been with anybody but Darryl. J.D. Well, if you don't mind me sayin' so, he sounds like a real asshole. THELMA It's okay. He is an asshole. Most of the time I just let it slide. J.D. is looking down the road, way off in the distance. J.D. Better slow down. That's a cop. Louise looks down the road and sees a highway patrol car coming down the road towards them. She does not look alarmed but veers off the road into a "rest area" drive that has trees and shrubs that obscure the view from the road. She glides along as the cop car passes on the other side without seeing them. Louise glides right back onto the road as if nothing unusual has happened at all. They realize they have not been spotted. J.D. and Louise look at each other. J.D. Maybe you got a few too many parking tickets? LOUISE We'll take you on to Oklahoma City, then you'd best be on your way. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Hal is on the phone to the FBI man. Darryl is sitting on a chair looking dazed. Other law enforcement types roam around the house. HAL The prints on the trunk of the car match those of Thelma Dickinson. INT. FBI OFFICE - DAY MAX STRATTON, an FBI MAN in his early forties, is looking at the ident-a-kit drawings of Louise and Thelma. MAX Well I'll be damned. Isn't that strange. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY HAL And the husband says a gun is missing. She took a lot of stuff. It looks like she maybe planned on being gone a while. The strange thing is, her husband said she would never touch that gun. He got it for her 'cause he's out late a lot, but he said she'd never touch it, wouldn't learn to shoot it, just left it in a drawer for years. INT. FBI OFFICE - DAY MAX What kind of gun was it? HAL (V.O.) A .38. MAX Right. Where are they? INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY HAL We're lookin'. They were on their way to some guy's cabin and they never showed up. We're lookin'. We hope you're lookin' too. EXT. FLATLANDS - ROAD - DUSK The T-Bird barrels down the road at high speed. EXT. SHAW'S SIESTA MOTEL - DUSK Louise, Thelma, and J.D. pull into the motel parking lot. LOUISE I just gotta run in for a minute. Louise looks at J.D. in the back seat and takes the keys out of the ignition. LOUISE You two better go on and say your goodbyes. Louise gets out of the car and goes inside. INT. MOTEL OFFICE - NIGHT An older WOMAN behind the counter is looking at a computer screen. LOUISE Louise Elizabeth Sawyer. Are you sure? WOMAN Nothin'. Nothin' came in today at all. Louise turns and sees Thelma crawl over into the back seat with J.D. LOUISE Nothing under peaches? Check again under peaches. WOMAN Naw, nothin' under peaches neither. A MAN comes up behind Louise and stands close behind her. MAN (JIMMY) Did you say Peaches?! Why that's the secret word! Show her what she's won, Don. He drops an envelope in front of her. Louise is startled and turns around quickly. JIMMY Hey, peaches. LOUISE Oh my God! Jimmy! You... Oh my God! What are you doin' here? JIMMY (to Woman) Can we get another room? Just put it on my credit card. The Woman hands them a key. WOMAN 'Round to the back. EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT Louise and Jimmy walk outside and catch Thelma sitting very close to J.D. Thelma sees Jimmy and is so startled she screams and involuntarily slams herself across the back seat to the other side of the car. She tries to look nonchalant. THELMA Jimmy! Hello, stranger. What in the world are you doin' here? JIMMY Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies. THELMA Good answer. Same goes double for me. JIMMY Who's your friend? J.D. is climbing out of the car, looking very uncomfortable. THELMA This is J.D. He's a student. We're just givin' him a ride to... to here. Louise said we could bring him here and then he'd have to go. And that's what he's doin'. He's goin'. Aren't you, J.D.? J.D. Yup. Thanks for the ride. You all take care. He quickly turns and walks away toward the road. THELMA (watching him) Yup. That's him goin'. I love to watch him go. LOUISE (to Jimmy) Thelma kinda took to him. Jimmy is smiling. JIMMY (to Thelma) Well, come on, gal, I got you a room. You can go on in and take a nice cold shower. THELMA Don't mind me, Jimmy, I'm just a wild woman. JIMMY I always knew that. THELMA A regular outlaw. Louise shoots Thelma a look. The three of them drive around to the back of the motel. Thelma turns and looks at the road. J.D. is standing there. He blows her a kiss. EXT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT They stop in front of the motel rooms and the three of them climb out of the car. LOUISE Let me just go in and freshen up for a minute. I need to wash my face, you know. Thelma is taking their luggage out of the trunk. JIMMY Okay, honey. I don't want to rush you. I just wanna talk to you and... (whispering) ... be alone with you. I'll just be in my room, 115, you just come on down when you're ready. Jimmy helps carry the luggage to Thelma's room. He stops at the door. JIMMY I'll be waiting. Louise smiles at him quizzically as if she can't believe he's acting this way. He turns on his heel and slinks away. THELMA I don't care what you say about him. The boy has got it bad. LOUISE He's always got it bad as long as I'm running in the other direction. Don't be fooled, he's no different than any other guy. He knows how to chase and that's it. Once he's caught you, he don't know what to do. So he runs away. THELMA I heard that. INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT They close the door to their room. Louise sets the envelope of money on the table. LOUISE (indicating envelope) Our future. Louise gets her purse and starts taking out her makeup. She stands very close to the mirror. She is putting on lip liner. Thelma is watching. THELMA So what are you gonna tell him? LOUISE Nothing. I'm not gonna tell him a thing. The least I can do is not make him an accessory any more than he already is. THELMA You are so sweet to that guy, you really are. Imagine not wanting to drag him into this. He is a lucky man. Louise is still putting on her makeup, making sure it's perfect. LOUISE I didn't ask him to come! It's like I said, Thelma, he just loves the chase. THELMA Well boy, he's got his work cut out for him now, don't he? LOUISE Put a lid on it, Thelma! It's hard enough as it is. Just let me get this part over with. Now stay here and guard the money. If there's any problem I'm in room 115. THELMA I won't wait up. Louise turns to face Thelma. LOUISE How do I look? THELMA You're a vision, Louise, a goddamn vision of loveliness, you always are. LOUISE Have another drink, Thelma. Louise walks out the door. THELMA Good idea. EXT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT It's raining out. Louise goes to Jimmy's room. Louise knocks on the door to room 115. The door opens slightly and one red rose pops out. LOUISE Hello... JIMMY (in a falsetto voice) Who is it? LOUISE It's me. The following eleven roses are held out the door, then Louise is yanked inside and we hear her shriek with LAUGHTER. INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - EVENING Thelma has taken a shower and is dressed in cut-offs and a T-shirt. Her hair is still damp but she looks better than she did when she arrived. Thelma is fixing a drink of Wild Turkey and Diet 7-Up in one of the motel room glasses. There is a KNOCK on the door. She stops what she is doing and is completely still. THELMA Louise? Another KNOCK. THELMA Louise, is that you? J.D. (O.S.) (through the door) Thelma? It's me. Thelma opens the door and there stands J.D., soaking wet from the rain pouring down behind him. J.D. I just thought I... I know I'm supposed to be gone, but... He's kind of looking over towards the road. He's still slightly shy. J.D. I'm not havin' much luck gettin' a ride. He notices looking past her into the room that Louise isn't there. Thelma just stands there looking at him. J.D. Well, I guess I'd better... THELMA Wait...! Um, where ya going? J.D. I don't know. Nowhere. What are you doin'? THELMA I don't know. Nothin'. Took a shower. J.D. That sounds nice. THELMA Well, you wanna use the shower? You can tell he does want to but doesn't want to say so. So instead he just kind of stands there with a reticent grin on his face. J.D. Oh. I... where's Louise? THELMA She's off with Jimmy, that's her boyfriend. J.D. That's lonely for you, I guess. I always think of motel rooms as lonely. Thelma pretends like she's had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. THELMA (letting him in the door) Oh, yes, well, they can be. INT. JIMMY'S ROOM - NIGHT Jimmy is pouring champagne into Louise's glass. There are a dozen roses in a vase on the table. He pours for himself as he sits as close to Louise as possible. JIMMY Now, my little coconut, what seems to be the trouble here? Tell Daddy everything. LOUISE (cringing) Jimmy, my daddy's still alive and it kind of gives me the creeps when you do that... JIMMY Okay, okay, just tell me what's the trouble. Louise just looks at him for a minute. LOUISE Jimmy, I'm not gonna tell ya what the trouble is. Someday soon you'll understand why I can't. But I won't tell ya, so don't ask me. Jimmy is once again shocked by how serious she is. JIMMY (almost at a loss for words) Okay, peaches, okay. But can I ask you one thing? LOUISE Maybe. JIMMY Does it have something to do with another guy? Are you in love with him? LOUISE It's nothin' like that. JIMMY (exploding) Then what?! What, goddamnit, Louise! Where the fuck are you going? Are you just leaving for fucking ever? What, did you fuckin' murder somebody or what?! Louise spills her champagne. LOUISE Stop it! Stop it, Jimmy, or I'll leave right now. I'm not kiddin'! JIMMY (calming down) Alright, alright. I'm sorry. They both take a second to regain their composure. JIMMY Can I just ask you one other thing? LOUISE Maybe. Jimmy pulls a little black box out of his pocket. JIMMY Will you wear this? He hands Louise the box. She opens it and it is a diamond ring. Louise is flabbergasted. JIMMY Will you at least see how it fits? LOUISE Jimmy... it's beautiful! JIMMY You didn't see that one comin', did ya? INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT J.D. is out of the shower standing in front of the mirror wearing only his jeans, the top button of which is still undone and no shirt. He has an incredible physique. He also has a tattoo on his shoulder of the homemade variety. Thelma has gone and bought cheese crackers and peanuts from a vending machine and is into her second Wild Turkey and 7-Up. She sits on the bed, watching him in the mirror. He definitely looks better with his shirt off. She suddenly feels awkward and stands up. THELMA You wanna drink? INT. JIMMY'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Louise has the engagement ring on her finger. It's really beautiful. JIMMY So whaddya think. I mean... I could... uh... get a job. Of some kind. I mean you've been tellin' me that for years, right? LOUISE Why now, Jimmy? JIMMY (this is hard for him) 'Cause, Louise. I don't want to lose you. And for some reason I get the feelin' you're about to split. Permanently. Louise doesn't know how to respond. She struggles for a reply. LOUISE Jimmy, we've gone all these years... we never made it work. We're not gonna be able to just... I'm not... What kind of job, honey? Can you see it. I can't. Jimmy doesn't answer right away. He's trying to see it. JIMMY I'm the one... I never made it work. I just... It's not that I don't love you. It's not that. I just never thought I'd be thirty-six years old and I never thought... I don't know what I thought. What do you want, darlin'. What do you want me to do. LOUISE I don't know. It doesn't even matter anymore. I just want you to be happy... It's not that I don't love you either. But Jimmy, your timing couldn't be worse. Jimmy does not really understand why this is happening. JIMMY Are you just doin' this to punish me? LOUISE Believe me, the last thing I want is for you to get punished. INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Thelma has poured a drink for J.D. who's sitting on the edge of the bed. She walks over and hands it to him and as she does, he takes the drink with one hand and her hand with the other. He sets the drink down on the nightstand and holds her hand with both of his. He closely studies her wedding ring. He suddenly looks up at her and gazes at her just as intently. He slowly shakes his head as he removes her ring as if to say, "This is not right for you. This isn't going to work." He looks at the ring as he moves it through space finally stopping when the ring is directly over his drink. He drops it in. He looks back at Thelma and smiles as if to say, "There. Now don't you feel better?" He smartly kisses her hand. INT. JIMMY'S ROOM - NIGHT Louise and Jimmy are sitting on the edge of the bed. Jimmy has put the ring on her finger and they both are looking at it, as Jimmy holds her hand in his. They both ponder it. JIMMY It does look good. INT. THELMA'S ROOM - NIGHT J.D. is standing on the dresser with a towel tied around his neck like a cape. J.D. Faster than a speeding green T-Bird, able to leap tall babes in a single bound... He leaps from the dresser and flies across the room landing on the bed, straddling Thelma. J.D. (in his deep man's voice) Hi. Could I interest you in some Fuller brushes? Thelma has not stopped laughing since he came in the room. He is the greatest guy she's ever seen. He is sniffing her neck like a dog. THELMA (giggling) Stop, stop, stop! Thelma tries to catch her breath. THELMA Who are you? J.D. attacks her again. J.D. I am the great and powerful Oz... THELMA J.D.! Just tell me. I know you're not some schoolboy. Now come on, nobody ever tells me shit. J.D. I'm just some guy. A guy whose parole officer is probably having a shit fit right about now. Thelma gasps. THELMA What?! Parole officer? You mean you're a criminal? J.D. Well, not anymore, Thelma, except for bustin' parole, I haven't done one wrong thing. THELMA What did ya do? J.D. I'm a robber. THELMA You're a bank robber? J.D. Nope. I've never robbed a bank. THELMA What? J.D. Well, I robbed a gas station once, and I robbed a couple of liquor stores, and some convenience stores. And that's it. THELMA How? J.D. Well, I was just down on my luck and it seemed like somethin' I was good at so I... THELMA (interrupting) No, I mean how would you do it? Do you just sneak in real fast or hide out till the store closes or what? J.D. Naw, honey, that would be burglary. I never got arrested for burglary. Burglary's for chicken shits. If you're gonna rob someone, ya just have to go right on up to 'em and do it. Just take the money. That's robbery. That's a whole 'nother deal. THELMA Tell me. J.D. Well, first you pick your place, see, then I'd just sit back and watch it for awhile. Ya gotta wait for just the right moment, which is something you know instinctively, that can't be taught. Then I'd waltz on in... J.D. jumps up and picks up a hair dryer and holds it like a gun. He starts acting it out. J.D. And I'd say, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's see who'll win the prize for keepin' their cool. Simon says everybody lie down on the floor. If nobody loses their head, then nobody loses their head. You sir... You do the honors. Just empty that cash into this bag and you'll have an amazing story to tell all your friends. If not, you'll have a tag on your toe. You decide." Then I'd split. Simple. THELMA My gosh, you sure gentlemanly about it. J.D. I've always believed if done right, armed robbery doesn't have to be a totally unpleasant experience. THELMA God. You're a real live outlaw! J.D. I may be the outlaw, but you're the one stealin' my heart. THELMA And smooth, boy, you are smooth. They kiss passionately. THELMA You're kinda the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. J.D. You're a little angle, you are. J.D. turns out the light. INT. JIMMY'S ROOM - NIGHT Louise and Jimmy are wrapped in each other's arms, quietly making love. Through this, Jimmy is ardent. JIMMY Louise? I think you are so damn beautiful. I mean that. I always have. She smiles. Completely. LOUISE (whispering) I think you're beautiful too. EXT. SIESTA MOTEL - DAWN MONTAGE of early morning staff, a truck driver climbing into his cab with a silver thermos, squirrels hopping around on the ground. INT. SIESTA COFFEE SHOP - DAWN TIGHT SHOT of coffee beginning to drip into an empty coffee pot. Louise and Jimmy are sitting in a booth, both on the same side. They are both playing with their wedding rings. JIMMY Don't worry darlin'. I'll say I never found you. I'll say anything you want. We'll find a way to get you out of this, whatever it is. LOUISE Damn, Jimmy, did you take a pill that makes you say all the right stuff? JIMMY I'm choking on it. They sit for a minute. JIMMY Honey? Ummm... Do you want me to come with you? They look at each other, into each other and Jimmy can see that Louise is already gone. Louise is really touched that he asked her that but she knows it's impossible. She is very kind to him. LOUISE Oh... now... it's probably not such a good idea right now. I'll... catch up with you later, on down the road. In her hand she's been holding the ring in the black box. She puts it on the table and slides it back to him. He stops her, suddenly. He covers her hand with his. JIMMY You keep this! Jimmy is trying not to seem upset, so he's completely still. A taxi pulls up outside. LOUISE Your taxi's here. Jimmy pulls her to him and kisses her so passionately that employees in the coffee shop look away. A cook fans himself with a spatula. The taxi driver, who can see in, looks at his watch. JIMMY Are you happy, Louise? I just want you to be happy. Louise looks at her hand and Jimmy's hand. LOUISE I'm happy, sweetie. Happy as I can be. Jimmy gets up and leaves the coffee shop. Louise watches him go. A WAITRESS comes over and fills her coffee cup. WAITRESS Good thing he left when he did. We thought we were gonna have to put out a fire. The Waitress chuckles and the other waitresses do too. Louise waves to Jimmy in the back of the cab. The cab driver winks at her. She smiles to herself. INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - MORNING The room is totally trashed. J.D. and Thelma are both asleep, naked and hanging off either side of the bed. J.D. starts to stir... INT. HAL'S BEDROOM - MORNING Hal is in bed with is WIFE. He has to get up. He is holding his wife in his arms. HAL Honey? SARAH Yes, baby? HAL Do you think you could ever shoot someone? SARAH What? HAL Do you think you could ever think of a set of circumstances that would just cause you to haul off and shoot someone? SARAH I could shoot your cousin Eddie. HAL Why? SARAH Because he's an inconsiderate asshole. HAL I'm asking you seriously, Sarah, a stranger? SARAH I don't know, honey. I guess it would depend. HAL On what? SARAH (trying to picture it) Well, maybe if they were trying to hurt you or one of the kids. I'm sure I could shoot someone if they tried to hurt one of the children. HAL Yeah, I could too. But... I don't know why I'm even asking you this. It's just... we can't place anybody at the scene but these two gals that everybody swears is sweet as pie. I don't know. I keep hearing words -- impossible -- inconceivable. If just one person would say... SARAH Honey. Nothing's impossible. You just don't shoot someone like that for no reason. Maybe he was askin' for it. Anyway, somebody's husband probably got ol' Harlan. HAL That's what everybody says. Only problem is nobody's husband was unaccounted for that night... Could you shoot Eddie in the face? At point blank range? SARAH (thinking) In the leg. HAL (getting up) I gotta go to Little Rock. INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING Louise is sitting in the booth by herself. Thelma comes hurrying by. She looks disheveled but is grinning like an idiot. She sees Louise and charges into the coffee shop. Her energy and volume is several notches higher than the rest of the people in the coffee shop. There are a couple more customers in there now. Thelma slides into the booth seated directly across from Louise. THELMA Hi. She is shocked by Thelma's appearance. LOUISE What happened to your hair? THELMA Nothing. It got messed up. Louise is studying Thelma closely as Thelma squirms in her seat, barely able to contain herself. LOUISE What's wrong with you? THELMA Nothing. Why? Do I seem different? LOUISE Yes, now that you mention it. You seem crazy. Like you're on drugs. THELMA Well, I'm not on drugs. But I might be crazy. LOUISE (shaking her head) I don't think I wanna hear what you're gonna tell me. Thelma is just about to shriek when the Waitress comes over and puts a coffee cup on the table and pours some. Thelma gets a grip on herself for a moment then loses it as the Waitress goes away. THELMA Oh my God, Louise!!! I can't believe it! I just really can't believe it! I mean... whoa! Thelma is just laughing hysterically. Louise suddenly understands. LOUISE Oh, Thelma. Oh, no. THELMA I mean I finally understand what all the fuss is about. This is just a whole 'nother ball game! LOUISE Thelma, please get a hold of yourself. You're making a spectacle. THELMA You know, Louise, you're supposed to be my best friend. You could at least be a little bit happy for me. You could at least pretend to be slightly happy that for once in my life I have a sexual experience that isn't completely disgusting. LOUISE I'm sorry. I am happy. I'm very happy for you. I'm glad you had a good time. It's about time. Where is he now? THELMA Taking a shower. LOUISE You left that guy alone in the room? Louise is getting a bad feeling. She is already standing up putting money on the table. LOUISE Where's the money, Thelma? Thelma has forgotten all about the money. THELMA Ummm... it's on the table. It's okay. They are both leaving the restaurant now. As they hit the door they both break into a full run. THELMA I don't remember. EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - DAY They run across the parking lot around the back to the room. The door is ajar and no one is in the room. Louise goes in and Thelma stays outside the door. THELMA Goddamnit! I've never been lucky! Not one time! Louise comes back outside. She doesn't say anything. She is stoic, fighting tears. THELMA Shit. That little sonofabitch burgled me. I don't believe it. Louise sits down on the sidewalk in front of the room. Thelma comes and sits beside her. Neither one says anything for a moment. THELMA Louise? Are you okay? Louise shakes her head no. THELMA Louise... It's okay. Louise? I'm sorry. I mean it. Louise has seen the end of the tunnel and there is no light. LOUISE It's not okay, Thelma. It's definitely not okay. None of this is okay. What are we going to do for money? What are we gonna buy gas with? Our good looks? I mean... Goddamn, Thelma! Louise quietly starts to fall apart. This causes Thelma to leap into action. THELMA Come on. Stand up! Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of it. Just don't you worry about it. Get your stuff. Louise is still sitting on the sidewalk. THELMA Come on! Damnit, get your stuff and let's get out of here! Louise slowly gets to her feet. THELMA Move! (to herself) Jesus Christ, take your damn time. Thelma is hauling stuff out of the car. EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - MORNING TIGHT SHOT of rear wheel of green T-Bird LAYING RUBBER out of the motel parking lot. Thelma and Louise, both looking a little rougher than we've seen so far, drive away. EXT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Hal, FBI Man, various other police and detective types, pull up in front of the house. The front door swings open and there stands Darryl looking like he's been shot out of a cannon. EXT. STREET - DAY Louise and Thelma pull into a convenience store. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY Police are tapping the phones, dusting for prints, etc., while Darryl sits motionless in his recliner with a dull expression on his face. HAL (to Darryl) As you know, we've tapped your phone. In the event that she calls in. Max comes up and joins them as they walk down the hallway. MAX We're going to leave someone here at the house in the event that she calls in. Someone will be here until we find them. HAL The important thing is not to let on that you know anything. We want to try and find out where they are. Now I don't want to get too personal, but do you have a good relationship with your wife? Are you close with her? DARRYL Yeah, I guess. I mean, I'm about as close as I can be with a nut case like that. MAX Well, if she calls, just be gentle. Like you're happy to hear from her. You know, like you really miss her. Women love that shit. EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY Thelma and Louise are sitting in the car. They've put all their money together. LOUISE Eighty-eight dollars ain't gonna make a dent, baby girl. THELMA (getting out of the car) Don't worry about it. You want anything? LOUISE No. Thelma marches off to the store. Louise puts a tape in the deck and is listening to loud R&B MUSIC. She checks herself in the rearview mirror. She takes her lipstick out and is about to put it on. She makes eye contact with herself and, instead, throws it out the window, closes her eyes and leans her head back on the seat. She's in a world of shit. Thelma comes trotting out of the store and jumps into the car. THELMA (breathless) Drive! Louise looks at her. THELMA Drive! Drive away! LOUISE (driving away) What happened? Thelma opens her purse and exposes a bag full of bills. LOUISE What? You robbed the store? You robbed the Goddamn store?! Thelma shrieks with excitement. Louise is completely stunned. THELMA Well! We needed the money! It's not like I killed anybody, for God's sake. Louise shoots her a look. She puts the car in gear and FLOORS it out of the parking lot. She is still looking at Thelma as if she has completely lost her mind. THELMA I'm sorry. Well, we need the money. Now we have it. LOUISE Oh shit, Thelma!! Shit! Shit! Shit! THELMA (sternly) Now you get a grip, Louise! Just drive us to Goddamn Mexico, will ya! LOUISE Okay. Shit, Thelma! What'd you do? I mean, what did you say? THELMA Well, I just... INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Hal, Max, various other cops, and Darryl all watch as TV plays back VCR TAPE of Thelma in the convenience store pulling a gun. In perfect lip sync is: THELMA (V.O.) Alright, ladies and gentleman, let's see who'll win the prize for keepin' their cool. Everybody lie down on the floor. If nobody loses their head, then nobody loses their head... TIGHT SHOT of Darryl's face going deeper and deeper into a state of shock. TIGHT SHOTS of Hal, Max, etc., all looking intently at the screen. VIDEO IMAGE of Thelma boldly ordering cashier to fill her purse with money. As he's loading the purse with bills, she's taking beef jerky from the display and putting it in there, too, while she points the gun at the cashier. THELMA (V.O.) (videotape playback) You, sir... You do the honors. Just empty that cash into this bag and you'll have an amazing story to tell all your friends. If not, you'll have a tag on your toe. You decide. CUT TO: INT. CAR - DAY Thelma and Louise in car, driving. LOUISE (incredulous) Holy shit. CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY TIGHT SHOT: DARRYL Jesus Christ. TIGHT SHOT: MAX Good God. TIGHT SHOT: HAL (wearily) My Lord. EXT. DRIVING SHOT - DAY LOUISE Holy shit. THELMA Lemme see the map. Louise throws the map across the front seat at Thelma and FLOORS it. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN: INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Jimmy is entering the apartment building, carrying his overnight bag. Two men are sitting on the stairs. They stand as he comes in. They are plainclothes police. They show their badges. He leaves with them. EXT. ROAD - TIGHT SHOT - J.D.'S BACKSIDE - DAY made only more prominent by the bulging wallet in his back right pocket. J.D. is walking down the road and continues to walk as an Oklahoma State Patrol car pulls up alongside him. He smiles and gives a friendly wave as they cruise along slowly beside him. We can see the cop nearest him talking, and then we see J.D. stop walking and set down his duffel bag. He reaches for his wallet. It's clear that they have asked for some I.D. EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAY Louise is driving. They fly past a kid on his bike on a long gravel driveway. He watches them. A huge cloud of dust blows up as they pass him. He turns and rides his bike down the driveway towards the house. INT. CAR - DAY THELMA Louise, you'd better slow down. I'll just die if we get caught over a speeding ticket. Louise looks at the speedometer touching 80 mph and lets her foot off the gas. Louise is looking a little nervous. LOUISE For the first time in my life, I wish this car wasn't green. THELMA Are you sure we should be driving like this? In broad daylight and everything? LOUISE No we shouldn't, but I want to put some distance between us and the scene of our last Goddamn crime! THELMA Oooooweee!! You shoulda seen me! Like I'd been doin' it all my life! Nobody would ever believe it. LOUISE You think you've found your calling? THELMA Maybe. Maybe. The call of the wild! Thelma howls like a dog and drinks a little bottle of Wild Turkey. LOUISE You're disturbed. THELMA Yes! I believe I am! INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Jimmy is in a small room with Hal, Max, other cops, looking stunned. JIMMY I swear to God, she wouldn't tell me one thing! Christ! You oughta try to find that kid that was with 'em. HAL Tell us about him. JIMMY Just some young guy. Around twenty years old. Dark hair. Jimmy is really upset and has to really struggle to control himself. JIMMY (trying to remember him) They said they'd picked him up along the way. He was a student. But he didn't look right. But he left when they got to the motel. MAX Do you understand that you may be facing an accessory charge? HAL This is serious, son. A man is dead. JIMMY I know! I'd tell you if I knew! Goddamn! I know something happened, or she wouldn't have left. I'm trying to remember everything! Find that fucking kid. He probably knows something. EXT. DRIVING SHOT - DAY Thelma and Louise are in the car. Thelma is taking empty little Wild Turkey bottles out of her purse and throwing them out the window. LOUISE So what's the plan, Thelma? You just gonna stay drunk? THELMA Try to. LOUISE Litterbug. They come ROARING up on a semi-tanker carrying gas. We see their FISH-EYE REFLECTIONS in the shiny tanker. The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes of naked women that Thelma and Louise saw earlier. The truck is going slower than they are. LOUISE Aw, great. This always happens. Whenever you're in a hurry. She noses out to see if she can pass, but there's a car coming. The car passes and the truck HONKS. The truck driver's arm comes out his window and waves them past. THELMA Isn't that nice? Truck drivers are always so nice. The best drivers on the road. As they get next to the truck, the truck driver is smiling and waving at them. They smile and wave back. He flicks his tongue at them. Louise screams. THELMA/LOUISE Ugh!! Gross!! Oh my God! Aw, God! Louise FLOORS it and speeds past him. THELMA Ugh!! Why do they have to do that? LOUISE They think we like it. Maybe they think it turns us on. Louise shivers with disgust. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Jimmy is looking at police mug shots of a lot of young guys. Hal shows Jimmy a mug shot of J.D. HAL Is this the guy you saw them with? JIMMY (looking closely) It's him. MAX (clapping his hands) Oh, happy day. JIMMY You gotta be kiddin' me. They picked up a murderer?! HAL Armed robber. JIMMY Oh, great. MAX (to Hal) They're flying him here right now. He was picked up this morning for parole violation. They also found about six grand on him, so he probably knocked over something while he was out there. They can drop him by here for questioning. I'm so happy. JIMMY (overhearing) How much cash did he have? EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY J.D. arriving, handcuffed, at State Police building. EXT. DIRT ROAD - DAY The T-Bird is entering terrain that looks more like desert. The top of the T-Bird is up. INT. CAR - DAY LOUISE Thelma. THELMA Yeah. LOUISE I want you to call Darryl. THELMA What for? LOUISE To find out if he knows anything. If you think he does, you gotta hang up because it means the police have told him and the phone is probably tapped. THELMA Jeez, Louise, tapped the phone? You think so? LOUISE (agitated) Oh, come on! Murder one and armed robbery, Thelma! THELMA Murder one! God, Louise, can't we even say it was self-defense? LOUISE But it wasn't! We got away! We were walkin' away! THELMA They don't know that! It was just you and me there. I'll say he raped me and you had to shoot him! I mean, it's almost the truth! LOUISE It won't work. THELMA Why not?! LOUISE No physical evidence. We can't prove he did it. We probably can't even prove he touched you by now. They both pause for a moment. THELMA God. The law is some tricky shit, isn't it? Then: THELMA How do you know 'bout all this stuff anyway? Louise does not answer the question. LOUISE Besides, what do we say about the robbery? No excuse for that. No such thing as justifiable robbery. THELMA Alright, Louise! EXT. DIRT ROAD - HELICOPTER SHOT - DUSK As the sun sets, the T-Bird drives deeper into the vast desert. INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Darryl is sitting in the hallway. Two officers are leading J.D. down the hall. Hal, Max, other plainclothes officers follow. Darryl looks at Hal questioningly. Hal doesn't respond and the entourage quickly goes into a room. Darryl stands and crosses the hall to the room as the door shuts in his face. DARRYL (yelling at the door) Hey! Hey! INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT J.D. Who's the nut? HAL That's Thelma Dickinson's husband. J.D. Aw, God. INT. POLICE STATION - HALLWAY - NIGHT Darryl tries the doorknob, but the door is locked. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Hal, Max, J.D., other officers. There is a VCR and monitor set up in the room and they view the videotape of Thelma in the convenience store. J.D. (pleased) Alright! She did good! Didn't she? HAL Well, son, she's doin' a damn sight better 'n you right now. MAX Where did you get $6600.00 in cash? J.D. A friend. HAL We spoke with a gentlemen today who says he personally delivered very close to that same amount to a Miss Louise Sawyer. Do you know her too? J.D. Umm, yes. She was driving. HAL He said he took it to a motel in Oklahoma City. He also says that at that time he met a man. He identified you through a series of mug shots. He also told us that you and Mrs. Dickinson seemed "close." Is that true? J.D. You might say we had a meeting of the minds, yes. MAX Did you know that Mrs. Dickinson and Miss Sawyer are wanted in connection with a murder? J.D. What?! HAL Did either of them ever indicate that they might be running from the Law? J.D. (surprised to hear this) Now that you mention it, they might have been a little bit jumpy. HAL You know what? You're starting to irritate me. MAX Yeah. Me too. Hal thinks for a moment and then looks to Max. HAL Do you mind if I have a word with him alone for a minute. Max agrees and opens the door for the others to leave. He and Hal make eye contact before Max closes the door. J.D. What?! What'd I do? Hal sits down across the table from J.D. and looks at him. HAL Son, I gotta feelin' about somethin' and I just wanna ask your opinion. Do you think Thelma Dickinson would have committed armed robbery if you hadn't taken all their money? J.D. doesn't say anything. They both just sit there for a moment. HAL Cat got your tongue? J.D. shifts in his chair. J.D. How do you know I took it? How do you know they didn't just give it to me? HAL There's two girls out there that had a chance, they had a chance...! And you blew it for 'em. Now they've gotten in some serious trouble, some very serious trouble and for at least part of it, I'm gonna hold you personally responsible for anything that happens to them. I've got no feelin' for you. But I may be the only person in the world who gives a rat's ass what happens to them and you're either gonna tell me every damn thing you know, so there's a small chance I can actually do them some good, or I'm gonna be all over you like a fly on shit for the rest of your natural life. Your misery is gonna be my goddamn mission in life. That's a sincere promise. Hal walks over and opens the door and Max and the others straggle back in. HAL Now, for one thing, you violated your parole two days out. And you know Judge Hainey. He hates this sort of thing. Once he gets wind of this, he's gonna blow sky high. And then when he finds out that you're a possible accessory to murder and armed robbery, well, I think we can safely place your ass back in the slammer for at least the remaining eight, don't you? MAX Oh, definitely. J.D. (convinced) Okay. Is somebody gonna write this down? INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Darryl is sitting in the hallway. Hal comes out of the room first. HAL Mr. Dickinson, if you'll just hang on, I want a word with you and then we'll take you home. Police officers lead J.D. out of the interrogation room, down the hallway. Darryl is watching J.D. closely. J.D. is smirking at him. J.D. (slyly, to Darryl) I like your wife. DARRYL (going after him) Come back here, you little shit! Hal and another police officer are restraining Darryl. J.D. is led off down the hall. EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT Louise and Thelma pull into a gas station. EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT A gas station attendant approaches as Louise and Thelma are getting out of the car. LOUISE (to attendant) Fill her up. (to Thelma) There's a phone right over there. THELMA Let's get it over with. Thelma and Louise walk to the phone. LOUISE I'm not kidding, Thelma. If you think he knows, even if you're not sure, hang up. INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - NIGHT The TV is ON and the place is a mess. Darryl, Hal, Max, and other cops spring into action as the phone RINGS, putting on headsets, turning on tape recorders. Darryl picks up the phone. DARRYL Hello. EXT. PAY PHONE - NIGHT THELMA Darryl. It's