I may possibly be reading too much into this whole thing, but then again, maybe not. As I've mentioned, I'm a pretty unapologetic feminist, and I have, in the past, walked away from acts I used to enjoy because the people involved revealed themselves to be sexist, misogynist, racist, or really any sort of bigoted at all. I can't seem to separate the art from the artist when it comes to things like that.

So of course, I am always thrilled when I sense--or am outright shown--tolerance from people in positions to voice their values to a large audience. I'm not talking about soapbox shouting, or using one's art as a vehicle for a personal agenda (although that can be all right in some cases.) I'm just talking about when your values come through naturally - and that's the feeling I was getting at the HitRECord Halloween show.

So let's talk abut feminism for a second. There's no way around internalized misogyny nearly everywhere, except to be aware of it at all times. What I've noticed, though, is that once your eyes are open to it (and really, to anything,) it's hard to close them again. You see it every single time it happens, and it can suck. "Living is easy with eyes closed," right? So, you can speak up, or you can lead by example, or both.

There'd been some talk on HitRECord and elsewhere about the lack of Halloween costumes for women. Lydia brought it up in her brilliant Re: Halloween segment, in fact. (It's not actually the lack of clothing that's the issue here, it's the one-sided lack of options. If you wanna go ahead and be Sexy Dumbledore or Sexy Anything, that should be your prerogative. ^_^ )

This is all leading up to the fact that Joe came out in full drag. I do mean like, full-on, wrecked, latex French Maid costume. “Je suis Josephine,” he said, “je suis ici pour votre plaisirrrrrrr,” with a perfectly overdone French R-roll. (The finishing touch was the blond wig with the black bow, and the tag hanging out the back. Freaking hilarious.)

Anyway, my feminist soul was all like “RIGHT ON!” Kind of a like a “Not so one-sided anymore, is it?” sort of thing. Okay, maybe I’m reading too much into his intentions, but maybe not. 

Then came Little Red Riding Hood, as re-written by Joe. He explained that Little Red Riding Hood was basically about sex. A few people laughed and seemed surprised by that. But that’s what most fairy tales are actually about, and in many cases they are warnings against certain behaviors: Be good, be virtuous, don't stray, do as you're told. Little Red Riding Hood was most definitely about how women should not wander off “the path” because predators lurked around every corner. And if she did wander and get “eaten,” it was her fault for disobeying. But, Red was fortunate enough to have a big, strapping, virtuous man come and rescue her from the beast, and she learned her lesson: Never wander again, because there are predators out there.

I've always hated the mindset that the onus is on women to not walk into the lair of predators. Why shouldn't we be allowed to walk wherever the hell we want without getting "eaten?" Why is it my responsibility if someone chooses to hurt me?

Joe changed the ending, though. In his version, Red doesn’t wait around for the hunter to rescue her and Grandma from the Big Bad Wolf: she uses her knife to cut herself out of him. And then she doesn’t “learn her lesson” either, instead deciding to keep wandering off the path anyway, since she’s armed with said knife.

Again, my feminist soul was punching the air. :) It’s so nice when people get it. So subtly, and with such a sense of fun, he totally shut down victim-blaming and the whole “serves her right for not doing what we told her to do” moral-thing. I think Joe’s Mamma taught him right. 

It's sort of like this in general on HitRECord, which is really nice. It's quite possibly the one place where I have yet to run into any kind of sexism, racism, lookism, etc. Of course, everyone makes a mistake and says the wrong thing at some point. I do that all the damn time. (I think during the show, someone misinterpreted Joe's legitimately innocuous remark about Greeks and Romans and said something like "Don't judge!" Or something? And instead of getting defensive and privileged, Joe just said, "I wasn't judging; I'm sorry." People could learn by his example.)

This is all just to say how pleased I am to have found a forward-thinking place like HitRECord, and how proud I am of the show that the community performed on that night of nights, Halloween. <3

EXT.  STREET - DAY

REBECCA, 20s, home from work, gets out of her car and walks to her door.  We like her.

EXT.  APARTMENT DOOR - CONTINUOUS

REBECCA is about to head inside, but she notices an ENVELOPE leaned up against her door. The envelope is UNADDRESSED, but it's ornately decorated with cute romantic DRAWINGS.

She LOOKS AROUND.  Who put this here?  Mildly charmed, she unlocks her door and steps inside.

INT.  REBECCA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Rebecca OPENS THE LETTER and begins to read.

A sweet MALE VOICE reads the letter in voice-over, accompanied by romantic MUSIC.  Throughout the voice-over, we also INTERCUT to cute romantic ANIMATIONS of the drawings on the envelope.

MALE VOICE: My love, it was so great to see you yesterday.  Your smile lights up the spring.  Your eyes show me a future of happiness.  Your body makes me wish I was your clothes, so I could be wrapped around you all day.  Until next time, my thoughts will be only of you.

The voice-over sequence ends gently.

REBECCA is sheepishly amused.

She pulls out a pen and a pad of Post-Its from her purse.  She sticks a Post-It on the envelope and writes: "SORRY, WRONG APARTMENT".  Heads outside again...

EXT.  APARTMENT DOOR - CONTINUOUS

She places the ENVELOPE with POST-IT back where she found it.  Then decides to move it a bit, so it's not right up against her door.

From inside, her PHONE RINGS.  She goes back inside.

INT.  REBECCA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

She checks who's calling.  Then answers the phone.

REBECCA: Hi mom.

MOM: What's wrong?

REBECCA: Nothing.  What do you mean?

MOM: You sound upset.

REBECCA: No I don't.  

MOM (not believing her): Alright.

Rebecca SIGHS.

MOM: What?

REBECCA: Nothing.  How was your day?

MOM: Oh, you know, same old.  How was your day?  You're the one with the exciting new life.

REBECCA: Mom--

MOM: What?  You are.

Rebecca SHAKES HER HEAD and SMILES to herself.  Then...

REBECCA: My day was great.

MOM: Did you meet anybody new?

REBECCA: Yeah actually, I met this awesome guy and I think he's gonna ask me to marry him.

MOM: What?  Oh.  Ha ha.

REBECCA: Well who do you think I'm gonna meet?  I hang out with nine-year-olds all day.

MOM: I don't know, aren't there other teachers?

REBECCA: I've met the other teachers.

MOM: All of them?

REBECCA: Yes.

MOM: Every single one?

REBECCA: I don't know, probably.

MOM: Well--

REBECCA: Mom, don't you think I would tell you if I met someone?

MOM: You never tell me anything.

REBECCA: That's not true.

MOM: That is true.

REBECCA: Whatever.

MOM: Okay.

Mom SIGHS.

REBECCA: What?

MOM: Nothing.

EXT.  STREET - DAY

REBECCA, home from work another day, gets out of her car and walks to her door.

EXT.  APARTMENT DOOR - CONTINUOUS

REBECCA notices earlier this time.  A BROWN PAPER BAG in front of her door.  Written on the bag in big bold marker, the words: "DON'T TELL".  Also, similarly to the envelope, the bag is ornately decorated with cute romantic DRAWINGS.

Now she's SCARED.  Scary MUSIC kicks in.  She moves to pick up the bag.

INTERCUT with ANIMATIONS of the drawings on the bag, but they're not cute anymore, now they're genuinely frightening.

INTERCUT with various brief moments shot from a STALKER'S POV of Rebecca alone in her apartment: eating, talking on the phone, in her pajamas, etc.

We hear SNIPPETS of the same sweet MALE VOICE reading the same LOVE LETTER from the previous scene.

She opens the bag and pulls out a BLUE DILDO.

The INTERCUTTING grows faster and more intense as she looks at the thing, upset.

She puts the DILDO back in the BAG.  And as she does so, The INTERCUTTING, MUSIC and VOICE-OVER all abruptly stop.

She LOOKS AROUND to make sure nobody saw.  Fumbles for her keys, and goes inside.

BLACK.

Silence.

STARTLINGLY, Rebecca's phone RINGS.

INT.  REBECCA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Rebecca is STARTLED by the sound, but immediately relieved it's just the phone.

Time has passed since last we saw her.  She's been living with a stalker, and it's wearing on her.  The blinds on all the windows are closed.

She checks her phone as it rings.  Doesn't want to answer.  But then she PUTS ON A BRAVE FACE, and picks up.

REBECCA: Hi mom.

MOM: Are you okay?

REBECCA: Yeah I'm fine, what do you mean?

MOM: Well I've been calling--

REBECCA: Yeah sorry, I couldn't pick up before.  How's everything with you?  How's dad?

There's a NOISE from somewhere, probably outside.  Rebecca is STARTLED again, and this time remains scared.  But she maintains her casual conversational tone of voice.

MOM: He's fine.

REBECCA: Yeah?

MOM: Yeah, he seemed a little upset when he got home, but now he's watching his Blitzer.

Tense, Rebecca peers out the room's various WINDOWS, peeking around the closed blinds.  She doesn't see anything.

MOM: How was work today?

REBECCA: It was good.

MOM: Yeah?

REBECCA: Yeah, really good.

MOM: And how's the place, good?

REBECCA: Yeah.

MOM: Do you need anything?  I'm going to Target tomorrow.

REBECCA: No, I'm alright.

MOM: What are you doing?

REBECCA: What do you mean?

MOM: I don't know, it sounds like you're in the middle of something, or...

REBECCA: Nope.  Just talking to you, mom.

MOM: Alright.

BEAT.

REBECCA: Well, I guess I'll talk to you later.

MOM: What, you have to go?

REBECCA: Yeah, I wake up early now, remember?

MOM: Alright.  Talk to you soon.

REBECCA: Okay.  Mom?

MOM: Yeah?

REBECCA: Oh, I just, no I just remembered, never mind.

MOM: What?

REBECCA: No, nothing.

MOM: You sure you don't need anything?

REBECCA: Yeah.  I'm okay.

MOM: Okay, call me if you need something.

REBECCA: Alright bye mom.

MOM: Bye bye.

Rebecca HANGS UP.  Still disturbed by the noise from before, but what can she do?

She heads into her BEDROOM.

EXT.  STREET - DAY

Rebecca, home from work, is TENSE today as she gets out of her car and walks to her door.

EXT.  APARTMENT DOOR - CONTINUOUS

She half-expects to find something terrible at her door.  But there isn't anything.

She looks around, nervous.  Then quickly goes inside.

INT.  REBECCA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

She ENTERS, puts down her things, still nervous.

She checks all around the place, making sure nobody's there.

She peers out all the WINDOWS, peeking around the closed blinds.

She goes into her BEDROOM.  Looks all around.

Checks in the CLOSET.  Nothing.

She's beginning to calm down as she heads back out into the living room.

And there's THE STALKER!  His presence horribly STARTLING.

Rebecca SCREAMS.

BLACK.

Silence.

DOORBELL rings.

MOM: Coming!

INT.  MOM'S HOUSE - DAY

MOM opens the door for REBECCA.

MOM: Hi!

REBECCA: Hey!

They embrace hello.

MOM: What's the matter?

REBECCA: Nothing.

She FEIGNS A LAUGH, but it's unconvincing.

REBECCA: I...

She hesitates.

MOM: What?

REBECCA: No, I just said hi, nothing's... nothing.

MOM: Alright.  You sure?

REBECCA: Yeah!

MOM: Okay, fine.  You want something?

REBECCA: Water.

MOM: Water?  That's all?

They head into...

INT.  MOM'S DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

A GLASS OF WATER set on the table in front of REBECCA.  MOM sits down too.

MOM: So, how's work going?

REBECCA: I love it.  I actually never like leaving at the end of the day.

MOM: Well, you go home and you're alone.

REBECCA: You know, I hadn't thought of that, thanks for pointing that out.

MOM: Well--

REBECCA: What have you been getting up to, mom?

MOM: Oh you know, same old.  How's the place, still good?

BEAT as Rebecca hesitates again.

REBECCA: It's great, it's really starting to feel homey.

MOM: Did you try the thing for the towels?

REBECCA: Yeah...

She's having trouble hiding her horrible anxiety.

REBECCA: It didn't work though.

MOM: Well don't worry too much, it's terry cloth.

REBECCA: No, I don't care about the fucking towels...

She's become quite emotional.  MOM is earnestly concerned for the first time.

MOM: Baby, what's wrong?

Rebecca tries to speak, but she can't.

REBECCA: I... I don't know.

MOM: It's okay, you can tell me.

REBECCA: No I can't!

MOM: Yes you can.

REBECCA: No, because if I tell you, you're gonna freak out, and nothing's gonna get better, it's just gonna get worse, and you're gonna try to tell me to come home, and I'm not doing that, I'm not--

MOM: Okay, okay, shh, shh, shhh...

MOM moves to her daughter and EMBRACES her, comforting her.  A long genuine moment of comfort.  Rebecca takes a DEEP BREATH.

REBECCA: There's a man stalking me.

MOM: What!?

REBECCA: Mom!  Don't get mad, just listen please--

MOM: What do you mean there's a man--

REBECCA: Mom, please!

MOM: Okay, okay.  Just tell me, what happened?

Rebecca takes another BREATH.  Then, as she speaks, she reaches into her PURSE and pulls out a PLASTIC GROCERY BAG from which she takes out a few ENVELOPES, each ornately decorated with cute romantic drawings.

REBECCA: He started leaving me love letters.  At first I didn't even know they were for me.  I thought they were for somebody else.  They weren't addressed to anybody--

MOM has found the BROWN BAG and pulled out the BLUE DILDO.

MOM: What is this?

REBECCA: He left me that too.  That's when I started to feel like--

Mom flicks a switch and the DILDO STARTS VIBRATING.

REBECCA: Okay, put that down.

Rebecca TAKES THE DILDO from Mom and SWITCHES IT OFF.

REBECCA: Are you listening to--

MOM: Is that yours?

REBECCA: No!  I told you this man has been leaving things--

MOM: But why would you keep it?

REBECCA: What do you... I kept everything he left me so that I could--

BROTHER: What is that?

Rebecca's teenage BROTHER has entered the dining room.

REBECCA: It's evidence!  Okay?  It's evidence.

MOM: Becky, don't point that thing at your brother.

REBECCA: Fine!  I'm putting it away.

Perplexed and a bit disturbed, BROTHER BACKS OUT of the room.

REBECCA: See this is exactly why I didn't want to talk about this with you.  Which is fucked up, because I should've said something a long time ago.  But I knew if I did, you'd--

MOM: Wait a minute, how long has this been going on?

REBECCA: Seven weeks.

MOM: Seven... are you... this has been happening for seven weeks and you're just telling me now?

REBECCA: I'm sorry.

We hear the FRONT DOOR OPEN.

DAD: Hi!

MOM / REBECCA:  Hi!  / Hi dad!

BEAT.  Rebecca and mom look at each other.

MOM: Let's not tell your father about this.  It'll just really upset him.

REBECCA: Wait, why shouldn't--

MOM: We'll talk about this more later.

Mom GETS UP and exits to attend to DAD.

REBECCA sits alone at the dining room table.  Incredulous.  Defiant.

Then she takes the BLUE DILDO out of the bag and stands it upright in the middle of the dining room table.

She EXITS.  Camera stays with the DILDO.

END.