‘AMERICAN HORROR STORY: UNETHICAL’

GRACE HIGGINS
PILOT - EXTRACT
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Characters & Ideal Casting (in order of appearance)

Key:
■ -AHS cast from other seasons

Silas Deacon - John Hawkes

Pastor - Finn Wittrock
Regan Shaw - Tessa Thompson
Felix Young - Kieran Culkin
Madeleine Shaw - Rosamund Pike
Caroline Torrance - Leslie Grossman
Scott Morgan - Cody Fern
Savannah Roberts - Thomasin McKenzie
Noah Raines - Auli’i Cravalho
A.J. Kemper - Iman Vellani
Conrad Melling - Archie Madekwe
Melissa ‘Missy’ Callahan - Elizabeth Lail
Wyatt Armstrong - Oscar Isaac

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“Human nature can be studied but not escaped, especially your

own.”
- Stanley Milgram

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01. EXT. - A CHURCHYARD IN THE EVENING 01.

Dark. Cold. An over the shoulder shot of SILAS as a pastor
reads a passage. Rain is pouring down, hard. Daniel 9:9.

PASTOR
“The Lord our God is merciful
and forgiving, even though we
have rebelled against him.”

A coffin is lowered into the ground, raindrops scattering

across its surface.
PASTOR
“Compassion is our only hope,
the compassion of you, the
Master, our God, since in our
rebellion we've forfeited our
rights.”

Silas lowers his head, hands in his pockets, processing as

the pastor finishes his reading. The pastor then walks over
to Silas, head bowed.

PASTOR
My condolences.

He nods, keeping his eyes on the headstone, wanting to be

left alone.
The pastor takes the hint, and leaves Silas above his
brother’s grave, silent. Reflecting.
Incongruous, the grave is the first in a far back row, out
of sight, and out of mind.
Silas reaches his hand to the top of the stone, plain except
for “JUDD ELIJAH DEACON” in the center.

SILAS
See you around, kid.

He steps back. Pauses, still looking at the headstone,

lighting a cigarette.
He stares at his brother’s stone through the smoke, then
shakes his head. Sniffs.
He leaves, not looking back, standing tall and proud. Silas
Deacon has an appearance to upkeep, and revenge to seek.

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02. OPENING CREDITS 02.

A montage including the main actors’ names and archive
footage.

03. INT. - THE SHAW RESIDENCE. 03.

Early, (6AM - early for some). REGAN is lying fast asleep,
sprawled out, clearly having been exhausted.

Her phone begins to vibrate from the nightstand, forcing her

to wake up. The name on the phone reads ‘Felix’.
Begrudgingly, she answers.

REGAN
(groggily)
What is it?

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
I need you to cover for me this
morning. Please.

REGAN
Again?

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
Listen, I’m sorry, I really am.
I don’t want to do this either,
but there’s a… small… situation
I really gotta deal with.

She sighs.

REGAN
What now? You’ve asked me twice
this week already.

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
It’s complicated, Regan, and I
swear, this’ll be the last time…
I appreciate you, you know that,
right?

REGAN

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(uncertain)
Right.

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
Seriously, I will make it up to
you. After today, this won’t
happen again - you have my word.
Please, Regan, I wouldn’t ask if
it wasn’t this important.

REGAN
Okay, fine. Go deal with your
‘situation’. You better be in
later, though. I’m not working
with Scott on my own.

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
You’re the best, I swear. I’ll
be there as soon as I can, maybe
11-ish. I couldn’t do that to
you. Thanks again for the cover.

REGAN
Don’t mention it.

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
I mean it, you’re the best.

REGAN
Seriously, don’t mention it, I’m
trying not to think about it.

FELIX
(via her phone speaker)
Okay, my bad. I gotta go now,
but I’ll catch you later.

REGAN
You will.

The line goes dead. She places her phone back on the
nightstand, before flopping backwards in defeat.

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MADELEINE is revealed, sitting upright next to her.

Already awake, she is reading a book (‘Sharp Objects’
by Gillian Flynn).

MADELEINE
(still reading)
Felix again?

REGAN
Yeah. Having some other issue to
deal with. A ‘situation’,
apparently.

It’s no use procrastinating - she has to get up,

begrudgingly.

MADELEINE
I still think it’s Caroline.

REGAN
I’m starting to think you might
be right.

Sensing her wife’s displeased tone, Madeleine stops

reading, instead focusing her attention on lightening
the mood, even marginally.

MADELEINE
It has to be. First he wants to
stay at work longer, then he has
to pick up Beau because she’s
busy, and now he’s got a
‘situation’ to deal with.

By this point, Regan is putting her boots on, having

‘woken up’ surprisingly fast. As shown through her
expression while she speaks, Madeleine seems to have
figured out exactly what to say - or what Regan wants
to hear - when she gets annoyed.

REGAN
(interested)
A Caroline-shaped situation?

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MADELEINE
Has to be.

REGAN
Makes sense. Is Missy still on
for today?

MADELEINE
I assume so. Wyatt’s still
planning some of his lectures.

REGAN
Still?

MADELEINE
Apparently. Although, I’m not
complaining. It’ll be nice to
catch up.

REGAN
Oh, definitely. It’ll be fun.
Text me later.

MADELEINE
You know I will. Good luck with
Scott.

REGAN
Thanks, I’ll need it.

They say their goodbyes, and Regan heads for the door.
Madeleine watches as she leaves, before continuing to
read.

04. INT. - A SMALL DINER - 6:15AM 04.

FELIX YOUNG is sitting in a booth, eyes bloodshot and
hair unkempt. His tie is barely fastened, and he looks
around, anxiously.

CAROLINE SHAW enters, put together, looking like she

stepped straight from the cover of a magazine. Felix
looks like he crawled out of a ditch.

CAROLINE
(mocking)

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Felix… we’ve got to stop meeting

like this.

FELIX
What took you so long?

CAROLINE
You look awful.

FELIX
Sleeping in a car does that to a
person.

CAROLINE
Whose fault is that, exactly?
From what I remember, it’s you
that stormed out, and me that
sent you links for nearby
hotels.

FELIX
Well, thank you so much. Like I
could have afforded those.

CAROLINE
You really need to work on your
temper, Felix. We could have had
this conversation yesterday.

FELIX
I don’t have a temper.

CAROLINE
It’s not healthy, okay? I don’t
need Beau developing an
attitude.

FELIX
How is he? Is he okay?

CAROLINE
He’s still studying.

FELIX

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Still? He’s been working all

night, he needs to get some
sleep.

CAROLINE
Oh, and you would know all about
that, wouldn’t you?

For the sake of speeding this meeting up, he tries to

ignore her as best as he can.

FELIX
I’m an adult.

CAROLINE
In theory.

FELIX
He’s only seventeen! (pauses -
must remain calm) What is it you
wanted to talk about, anyway?
What is so important that Regan
has to cover for me so you can
meet me in some crappy diner?
Are you finally taking up
couples therapy? We need to do
something, Caroline. I want to
fix this.

CAROLINE
I want a divorce.

Her words hit him harder than a brick falling onto his
chest, and his face falls.

FELIX
(weakly)
What?

She is slightly irritated by his lack of

understanding.

CAROLINE
Felix, I want a divorce.

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FELIX
Oh my god.

CAROLINE
You’re not actually shocked by
that, are you?

FELIX
I said, about therapy, Regan
knows a guy, one of Mads’
coworkers, he used to… why not
therapy?

CAROLINE
Scott’s moving in.

It’s like the world stopped, he freezes, tense. She

seems unphased.

CAROLINE
I wasn’t going to move in with
him, he was still in his mom’s
house, that was never going to
work. You made it clear
yesterday you didn’t want to
stick around, but he does. He’s
really quite something, Felix.

FELIX
You said that was a one time
thing.

CAROLINE
(completely unbothered)
Plans change. People change too.
You should know.

FELIX
When he first started, you said
I spent too much time at work,
and you got lonely. I switched
my hours, I cut my shifts in
half, and had to get cover for
them which in turn nearly ruined
my friend’s marriage just to try

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and fix ours. You said he was a

one off, Caroline. You promised.

CAROLINE
He’s a funny guy. Down to earth,
knows how to take a break from
his job. I think he’ll get on
well with Beau.

FELIX
Therapy would’ve helped, we
don’t need a divorce, we need
some actual help, an
intervention or something.
Anything but a divorce.

CAROLINE
He doesn’t have a temper.

FELIX
How long?

She’s confused, and about ready to leave.

CAROLINE
It’s been really nice to finally
have this talk with you, but some
of us are trying to catch a decent
story-

FELIX
Caroline, how long?

CAROLINE
Does it matter?

FELIX
It does to me.

CAROLINE
Just over… about nine months.

FELIX
You don’t mean? You’re not… You
don’t mean that you’re…

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CAROLINE
Mean what? (pause) Oh, really? I
mean, come on, that’s low, even
for you.

Disgusted, she gets up, ready to leave, looking across

at him with a sickened expression.

FELIX
Are you not even gonna give me
an answer?

CAROLINE
Why should I? When was the last
time you gave me an answer I
wanted?

He looks at her, unable to form a reply.

CAROLINE
Exactly.

She heads towards the door, then pauses.

CAROLINE
(cont.)
I don’t have anything to prove
to you, but I’m not. Now, leave
me alone.

She leaves, and Felix drops his head in his hands.

05. EXT. - ATHENS POLICE STATION, 8AM 05.

Hands in his pockets, Silas walks down the street,
head up, feeling strong. When he reaches the door, he
hesitates for a second, just a second. Then, with a
sigh, he pulls it open and steps inside.

06. INT. - ATHENS POLICE STATION, 8AM 06.

SCOTT MORGAN is sitting with his feet on his desk,
phone in one hand while he eats a donut (he’s always
wanted to do now he’s an officer), dropping crumbs
everywhere, with powdered sugar on his name badge.

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Slowly, Silas enters, but Scott continues undisturbed,

even when he reaches his desk.

SILAS
Sorry to bother you-

SCOTT
(uninterested)
It happens all the time.

SILAS
I have an inquiry to make. I’d
like to speak to a senior
officer, if that’s alright.

Scott looks at him, confused.

SILAS
See, if it is a problem, I’m
more than happy to go file a
report of misconduct elsewhere,
take it higher up than this old
department.

He smiles. Not a friendly smile, but the kind you make

when you want to hit someone in the face, as confirmed
with his clenched fist and glare at Scott.

Scott wipes his hand across his shirt, then goes to

dial the phone at his desk.

SCOTT
Slow down,slow down. Let me try
to figure this out.

SILAS
Well, I tried to file a report
about two months ago. Got
nowhere. I wanna take it up with
a senior officer.

SCOTT
(irate at having to work)

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Well that can’t be… I’ll see

what I can do. Hang on, watch
this.

He leans back with a sigh, taking his feet from the

desk, expecting someone. His phone call is unheard by
Silas.

SCOTT
There’s a guy down here wants to
speak with a senior officer. You
busy?

Silas watches as he seems completely unenthused with

whoever he’s speaking to.

SCOTT
I don’t think he’s… he doesn’t
really look like… nah, older,
like, older older. Kinda
scraggly. Not that intimidating,
honestly.

Pause.
SCOTT
(slightly agitated)
Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know.
Look, I can tell him to wait or
something? (pause) Right, okay.
I’ll tell him that, hear. Over
and out.

He places the receiver down with a sigh.

SCOTT
Piece of cake. She said she’ll
be here as soon as she can. You
can just wait over there, or
something.

SILAS
Great.

07. INT. - A COLLEGE DORM ROOM - 8:30AM 07.

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The room looks comfortable and cozy, with a few photos

on the furniture, posters on the walls, and a rug
across the floor. In the center of the room, SAVANNAH
ROBERTS is sprawled on a sofa, covered in a mess of
blankets and pillows, barely visible.

NOAH RAINES, wide awake and ready to leave, breaks the

peace by yanking open the curtains.

NOAH
Rise and shine.

SAVANNAH
(groaning)
I hate you.

NOAH
We have work to do. You
especially, so c’mon. Get up.

At this point, Noah grabs some of the blankets

Savannah tried to bury herself under, forcing her to
get up.

SAVANNAH
You’re not fair. Go away…

NOAH
If you think I’m bad, wait until
Madeleine finds out you still
haven't done the summer project.

SAVANNAH
Don’t even.

NOAH
I’m not wrong.

SAVANNAH
I know, I just…

She takes one of the few remaining pillows and screams

into it. Noah watches, amused.

NOAH

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Come on, we really need to get

going.

SAVANNAH
Why do I never learn? This
happens every single time.

NOAH
Seriously, let’s go.

Noah is poised by the door, bag packed and ready to

leave. Savannah, on the other hand, looks as rough as
she feels, with bags under her eyes, and her hair
messy.

SAVANNAH
In my pajamas?

NOAH
Who cares?

SAVANNAH
I care. What if Eli shows up or
something?

NOAH
I don’t think Eli is really
library material. Come on.

SAVANNAH
Fine.

She pulls on a hoodie, likely one of CONRAD’s, then

reluctantly gets her shoes, following her friend.

SAVANNAH
You better be right.

08. EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS - 9AM 08.

A.J. KEMPER is headed to the Psychology part of
campus, checking her phone as she walks. It’s a fairly
bright morning, although slightly cool as suggested by
her clothing. As she reaches the entrance, she waits,
looking at her phone, then far ahead nervously.

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CONRAD
(calling out)
A.J.!

She looks up to see CONRAD running towards her,

smiling as he waves. She looks visibly relieved.

A.J.
I’m so glad you’re here, I
thought it was just gonna be me.

CONRAD
It’s cool, don’t worry, I got
the message too.

A.J.
We must be, I don’t know, like
really good examples or
something…

Although she is awkward and clearly introverted, he

laughs along, checking the time on his watch.

CONRAD
We should probably head in about
now, I’m guessing he’ll be here
already.

A.J.
Oh, yeah, good point. Don’t
wanna be late, or anything.

The two head towards the door, as he offers to hold it

open for her, before they step inside.

09. INT. PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING 09.

Down the corridor, MISSY CALLAHAN is speaking to WYATT
ARMSTRONG outside one of the many offices. They turn
to face their students as they enter.

MISSY
Right on time.

The pair finally catch up to their professors.

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CONRAD
Hey, good morning.

The group exchange greetings.

MISSY
Thanks for coming in, folks,I
really appreciate it. This’ll be
just a super quick little chat,
then you can go back to whatever
it is that you need to do.

WYATT
I’m just gonna…

He points to his office, then puts his hand up to wave

goodbye, before strolling inside.

MISSY
As you probably know from the
message I sent, we have a
transfer student coming from
Memphis in a couple days, and I
was really hoping you would be
able to kind of show him around
the first week or so, just be
there to help him settle in, if
that’s okay. His name’s Todd,
and I think you should all get
along just fine.

CONRAD
Yeah, that’s no problem.

A.J.
We don’t mind, it’s all good. We
can do that, sure.

MISSY
Great, well, I just wanted to
check that with you before
classes start again. Thanks for
that, I knew I could trust you.

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She heads back into her office. A.J. looks at Conrad

with a nervous expression.

CONRAD
That was quick.

A.J.
(mumbling)
Seriously, why us?

CONRAD
What’s up?

A.J.
Why us? Why do we have to do
this?

CONRAD
It’s fine, it’ll just be the
first day or so, probably.

A.J.
I don’t really wanna talk to
this guy, though. What would we…
what would I even have in common
with this Todd guy from Memphis?

He starts to head for the door, looking back at her

while he explains.

CONRAD
It’s really no big deal,
honestly. We’re all students in
the same class, so we just tell
him hi,give him the heads up:
Missy is nice enough, Wyatt’s in
the wrong profession,
Madeleine’s either your best
friend or worst enemy, and
here’s how not to get lost. It’s
basic stuff.

A.J.
Easy for you to say. I’m not
really a people person. I

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observe, I don’t interact,

y’know.

A.J. goes to leave in a huff, but Conrad blocks the

door, trying to cheer her up.

CONRAD
You’ll be fine. I’m sure this
guy’s gonna be nice, anyway.
Worst case scenario, he’s a bit
of an ass, so we help him out
for the first day, and just
leave him be after that.

A.J.
Okay, but I’m only doing this
for the extra credit.

CONRAD
You don’t even need it, you’re,
like, at the top of the class.

A.J.
(changing the subject)
Okay, well, thanks. I guess I’ll
see you later.

CONRAD
Sure. You’ll be fine, honestly.

A.J.
I hope you’re right.

CONRAD
I know I am.

The two wave goodbye, then go to exit.

10. INT. ATHENS POLICE DEPARTMENT, 10:30AM 10.

Silas is sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for the
‘senior officer’ to arrive, leaning forward with his elbows
propping him upright, looking towards the door.
Scott is playing a game on his computer, likely Snake given
the sound effects, laughing quietly to himself as he does.
Silas drops his head in his hands, exasperated.

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The door opens, as Regan enters.

REGAN
Sorry for the delay, just had
some paperwork to deal with.

As she walks into the room, Scott immediately sits upright,

turning the game off, and flicking his hair back, attempting
to look like he’s working. Regan ignores him.
As she reaches Silas, she goes to shake his hand, and he
does so sincerely.

SILAS
No, it’s alright, I appreciate
your time this morning.

REGAN
What can I do for you, sir?

SILAS
I’d like to make an inquiry, a
serious one if that’s feasible
at all. I thought it’d be best
to take it higher than the desk
clerk… and you’re a senior
officer, yes?

REGAN
That’s right, sir. I’m a
detective.

Reading his reserved demeanor, she shows him her

badge, and watches as he studies it closely, before
handing it back to her.

SILAS
Thank you, detective. It’s about
my brother, if I may discuss-

REGAN
Why don’t we head up to my
office, and we can file this
properly?

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SILAS
That would be fantastic,
detective.

She leads him upstairs, holding the door open for him as she
does. As soon as it swings shut, Scott looks over to check,
before opening the game once again, this time with the
volume, and his laughter, somewhat louder than before in the
now empty room.

END OF EXTRACT

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