S1.E4 Survival of the Fittest By Michael Caporale EXT. THE FOREDECK OF THE HMS BEAGLE--JANUARY, 1836--DAY Storm clouds hover, as the HMS Beagle precipitously heads into the Bermuda Triangle. Charles Darwin, battered with rain leaves the deck to seek shelter below. As he navigates the stairs, he slips and hits his head, knocking himself unconscious. EXT. TAMPA BAY--FEBRUARY 6, 2021--DAY Darwin awakens to find the Beagle docked in Tampa Bay. He debarks the ship and stares in amazed confusion at the city skyline and the throngs of activity on the streets as Super Bowl 55 fans make their way to bars in and around the city and nearby areas. CUT TO: INT. TAMPA AIRPORT--SAME As passengers deboard planes and head for the city, running for cabs, they celebrate the moment by removing their masks and breathing a sigh of relief. One approaches a cabbie. PASSENGER Take me to Ybor City. EXT. TAMPA CITY STREETS--SAME Several rowdy fans sit in the back seat of a cab stalled in traffic. They are all costumed as BUCCANEERs in support of the Tampa team. One of them notices Darwin looking lost. BUCCANEER 1 Hey, check out that guy over there. BUCCANEER 2 You mean that old guy. BUCCANEER 1 Yeh, he’s a Buc fan for sure. Look at his outfit. Looks like he needs help. What say we give him a lift? INT. TAXICAB MINUTES LATER--DAY Darwin sits amid the three Buccaneers. BUCCANEER 3 Hey, where’d you get your outfit? Man, that looks pretty damn authentic. DARWIN Where are we? BUCCANEER 2 You don’t know? Dude, you ARE in a bad way. BUCCANEER 1 We’re in Tampa for Super Bowl 55 and we’re taking you to Ybor city to party with us. BUCCANEER 3 He probably escaped a nursing home or something, you know dementia. BUCCANEER 2 Fuck! He could have Covid. BUCCANEER 1 Oh SHIT!!! DARWIN What’s Covid? BUCCANEER 2 Here, put this on. They hand Darwin a surgical mask. He puts it on. DARWIN Why am I wearing this? BUCCANEER 2 OK we get it that you don’t know, but it’s like this old man… see there’s this disease, a virus going around and the way to stop it from transmitting from one person to another is to wear this mask… BUCCANEER 1 … and keeping social distance, like staying 6 feet apart. BUCCANEER 3 … and avoiding large crowds! This virus is brutal. You could end up dead. But you don’t have to worry as long as you do these three things, you’re safe. DISSOLVE TO: INT. AN YBOR CITY BAR--LATER THAT DAY Darwin struggles to make his way through a packed crowd of young people. None are wearing a mask. Several are falling down drunk. The floor is wet with spilled beer and as Darwin is being careful not to slip again, he looks down and discovers a wet ticket to the game. He picks it up and looks around the room, then moves towards the door. EXT. RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM--FEBRUARY 7, 2021--TWILIGHT Darwin is seated between cardboard cutouts of fans. He truns to the one on his right. DARWIN Hello. Nice day for a game, is it not?… Oh dear, excuse me I have forgotten my social etiquette. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Charles Darwin. Darwin extends his hand DARWIN Hmmm… you seem to be the quiet type. Have I offended you in some way? Darwin continues to stare at the cardboard fan, then withdraws his hand. He reaches for his notebook in the breast pocket inside his coat and begins scribbling something: “This disease is most peculiar. It takes a fully formed human and removes the innards, leaving only the two-dimensional resemblance of that human, stiff and lifeless.It Is yet another confirmation of the natural selection process, survival of the fittest. Through their actions, it strikes young adults while avoiding older, wiser adults who stay home, avoid large crowds and wear their masks. Unfortunately, that segment of humanity will be unable to replicate due to age and if allowed to continue to spread, this virus could mean the end of the human race… an endangered species will eventually become extinct.” INT. A CITY BAR--LATER IN THE WEEK A television blares forth the news to an empty bar. TELEVISION ANCHOR … and in an effort to support the continuation of the human species, the World Council on Procreation recommends that males over 50 make an application to become a sperm donor. INT. SPERM BANK--DAY NURSE Here you go Mr. Darwin. May I call you Charlie? She hands him a porno magazine. Darwin opens the door to a private booth and disappears.
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