S1.E4 In the Closet - Scene 1

Ritual S1 - Episode 4 - Scene 1

The Richard's Family Home - 1962

Characters in this Scene

Danny Huston as Michael Richards

Young Ric Richards

Lorena Richards, wife and mother

Miss Reign, a secretary

Kathy Bates as Celia Grey

Finn Wittrock as Ric Richards

Billie Lourd as Kiki Russell

Wes Bentley as Father Bryan Farrelly

Janet, an Assistant

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Santa Monica, 1962 and a young Ric Richards is watching television on the living room floor, he yawns. The late show is on, which means that it is way past his bedtime and curiously, no one has told him to go to bed yet. He gets up and looks around for his mother; he is wearing his blue pyjamas and favourite cowboy hat. He sees her sprawled on the sofa, snoring softly, an empty martini glass lies on its side on the carpet.

“Mommy, mommy?” She is nonresponsive. He pushes her in the stomach, and when there is no reaction, he lifts her limp arm then lets it go with a thud. Lorena Richards is out cold. He shrugs his shoulders and goes to the ice box and helps himself to ice cream and then the cookie jar. Every so often, he glances back to the sofa where his mother is still sleeping, just in case it’s a ruse designed to catch him out. He pokes around the kitchen drawers and finds a flashlight. This gives him an idea.

He decides to explore the one place in the house that he is forbidden to enter, his father’s den. His father Michael Richards has a very important job his mother tells him. That’s why he’s almost never home. She says this with one of her tight smiles, the kind that seem to say everything is alright, but it really isn’t. He takes the key where he has seen his father hide it, behind the picture of the African lady amongst the palm trees. He opens the door and carefully puts the key back. He tries the desk drawers, but they are all locked, he looks on shelves, touching ornaments, and then finally opens the closet. He finds a box tucked in the corner and discovers several strange items inside. There are different sized plastic things shaped like big sausages, Ric jabs one in the air pretending it’s a sword. He pulls out a leather mask and tries it on.

While he is rummaging, he hears the front door open and close, then voices outside the den door. It was his father, and another, a feminine voice. He quickly closes the closet door, turns off the flashlight, and scoots back in the darkness, just in time before his father flicks on the light switch. The lady with him says “Hey, wont your wife wake up?” Ric peeks through the louvered doors of the closet and recognises the lady as Miss Reign, his father’s secretary. He remembers her from the time that his mother had tearfully left Ric at his father’s office one day.

“Lori? Oh no, she is out cold for -” Michael takes the bottle of sleeping pills from his jacket and reads the label “- at least another four hours.” He lifts her up on his desk and she puts her arms around his neck.

“Why? Are you worried about it?” His voice is muffled as he nuzzles her neck.

“Well, I must admit I do find it kind of exciting. The thrill of getting caught out, and you know, having sex while your wife is just in the next room. Ooh!” She squeals as Michael puts his head between her legs and proceeds to take her panties off with his teeth. Ric stares wide eyed as they tear each other’s clothes off, his father ripping Miss Reign’s dress and brassiere.

Ric watches with innocent curiosity as Michael takes a length of rope from his drawer and hog ties Miss Reign up with it. She is completely naked and trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey on top of the desk. Ric had never seen a naked lady before. “You filthy little slut!” Michael Richards takes the ping pong paddle on his desk and spanks Miss Reign’s bare back side, hard. The sound of each loud slap makes Ric jump; tears roll silently down his cheeks. He does not know why his father is being so mean to Miss Reign, but what comes next is even worse and it deeply traumatizes him.

When his mother eventually finds Ric in the closet the next morning, he is curled up in a foetal ball. She blames herself for ignoring him. Sleeping on the job, her husband accused her of. He had been called back from the office that morning by his frantic wife screaming that their son was missing. Instead of calling the police Michael Richards suggested looking over every inch of the house first, including the den.

His father never spoke of it at all, but Ric would often catch Michael Richards giving him sidelong glances at the dinner table. The look on his father’s face was enough to send Ric’s nerves jangling. He knew, he knew that Ric knew. There was no more TV, Ric didn’t feel like it, instead he retreated to the safety of his room each night trying to avoid both parents as much as possible. This went on for a few months when finally, his father invited him to go fishing. His mother was elated, she thought they were finally bonding, but Michael Richards had other plans.

They rowed out in the tiny dingy to the middle of the lake, Michael Richards never taking his eyes off his son, and Ric looking over his shoulder pretending to look at the scenery while rubbing his sweaty palms on his shorts. Finally, they stopped and threw down the anchor.

“Ric, what were you doing in my den that night? Remember when we found you in the closet the next morning.”

Ric was fumbling with his hook, trying to bait it with a wriggling worm. “I went in by accident, and I fell asleep. That’s all.”

“Did you see anything Ric?”

“No sir,” Ric mumbles.

“Don’t lie to me boy. I know you saw something.”

Suddenly, Ric becomes full of anger and bravado. He stands up in the boat and faces off with his father. “I saw you hurt Miss Reign! I saw you poke her with your wiener!”

Michael leaps up and grabs the boy by the shoulders, shaking him. “Ric, you need to forget what you saw, don’t you dare tell anybody you little snoop, do you hear me!”

“No, I saw you! I’m telling mommy what you did!” Ric cries angrily. Michael slaps Ric hard across the face, hard enough for the boy to topple over into the water.

Ric blacks out for a minute and when he comes to, he is drifting, drifting in the cold water. He looks up from under the water and sees the silhouette of his father against the sun. It feels so peaceful here, he doesn’t have to think anymore, he doesn’t have to do anything but drift. He is about to sink into oblivion when he hears a female voice calling him. “Ric, Ric, come back to me!”

Ric Richards opens his eyes, and he is in the present. He is lying on a leather chaise lounge, in the office of Dr Celia Grey.  “Here,” she hands him a tissue. He didn’t realise he had been crying.

“I had completely forgotten about all that. I don’t recall much of my earlier childhood.”

“Hypnosis is a very effective tool in unlocking long forgotten memories.”

“I’m not so sure I want to remember, though.”

“Ric it’s important to remember, nothing will heal if it’s not drawn to the surface. That’s what I believe is happening to you now. Living with resentment and trauma can have long term effects on your health, which can be quite debilitating”

“Thank you, Dr Grey. I get it, but I don’t know if I’m ready for another session for a while. That was a lot.’”

“You come when you need to. You might need a bit of time to process; I agree, it was quite a heavy session. Just see Janet my assistant on your way out to settle your account.”

Ric gathers himself and steps outside Celia Grey’s office. As he approaches the reception counter, he hears a familiar voice and recognises an iconic line from one of his movies, “Well, how ya’ doin’ stud. You’re about the best-looking thing I’ve seen in a while.”

“Is that Kiki Russell!” Ric runs over to the young woman in the waiting area and sweeps her up, spinning her around. “It’s so good to see you, you look fantastic!”

“Good to see you too Ric, and you look - you look like you!” Kiki didn’t know what to say about Ric’s dishevelled look. He was still incredibly handsome, but he had the wild-eyed look of a used-up rent boy.

“How long has it been since we worked together?”

“Two years and three months. You were an absolute snob at first and I hated you, but you turned out to be the best friend I ever made in this industry. I’ve really missed you!” She smacks him on the arm.

“I’m sorry, I know I should have kept in touch more, but I’ve been going through some stuff. I’ve been following your career though, and I must say I’m impressed.”

“I’m not quite as impressive as you, Ric”

“So, what have you been up to, tell me everything.”

Dr Grey pokes her head out of the door, “I’m afraid that will have to wait kids. Sorry to break up this little reunion but I’m on a timer here. Kiki, please come in and make yourself comfortable.”

“Kiki wait!” Ric scrawls his address and phone number on a card and hands it to her. “I’d love it if we could hang out some time, come visit me. I’m just knocking around this big old mansion by myself.” Kiki smiles and tucks it in her purse before kissing him on the cheek.

“Janet! Janet!” Celia Grey clicks her fingers in her assistant’s face who has not stopped staring at the combined star power of Ric Richards and Kiki Russell. She has still not gotten used to the calibre of clientele that come through the office, and Celia reprimands her in a low voice “Janet, can you please stop gawking and assist Mr Richards with his account.”

“Yes Dr Grey, I’m sorry Dr Grey.”

“God that girl will be the death of me,” Celia mumbles under her breath. She is about to turn the handle on her office door when she is interrupted by an unexpected visitor, who bursts into the waiting room.

“Dr Grey, I need your help immediately!”

“Father Farrelly? What is it?”

“As I requested, I need your professional opinion. It’s quite urgent I’m afraid, the girl in question is in grave danger.”

“In danger of what?”

“That’s what I’m hoping you can determine.”

“Father, I’m sorry but I have a client right now and I’m booked up for the rest of the afternoon.” Celia has her hand on the doorknob again and is about to turn away, then halts at Farrelly’s next words.

“I believe you were treating her at some stage. Her name is Joanie Morcombe.”

“All right Father, wait here, just give me 30 minutes. Janet, can you reschedule the rest of my appointments for this afternoon.”

“What do I tell them?”

“For God’s sake, Janet. Tell them I have an emergency.” Celia Grey closes her office door behind her; she needs to have a word with Kiki Russell about that damning Variety article. What a day this is turning out to be.

Thank you, more scenes to come - I hope you are enjoying the season so far, feel free to comment on my Instagram page or Facebook as well, and follow along for updates.