Regenerade

The Regenerade Series consists of 10 episodes. Each episode script (Final Draft) is approx. 46-64 pages. Outlines of all 10 episodes, including script excerpts, are available on my web page: https://lydiavallesoledad.wixsite.com/home/regenerade Regenerade is the story of a family of three, beginning with the divorce of the parents. During a hot and hectic summer, we follow mother, father and adult son as they form new relationships and achieve personal growth. Lauren has finally found a new spark of hope in her failing marriage to Mitch when their son Aidan breaks the news to her - Mitch is already in a relationship with another woman. This is the final straw, and the long impending divorce is a fact. Lauren moves on, very quickly, but is forced to reflect on the complex emergence and nature of her long relationship with Mitch, and the fact that she never initiated a break-up, despite several infidelities and the serious betrayal of a secret vasectomy. As she’s building her new life at an almost frantic pace, she’s increasingly drawn to Aidan’s best friend Josh, 21 years younger than her. Before she knows it, they’re lovers, and living together. And working together. And before she knows it, Aidan comes back from Europe and realizes that his mother is in a relationship with his best friend. The close bond between Lauren and Aidan is damaged and Lauren is yet again forced to reflect on her passivity. Just as she manages to re-establish the connection with her son, they both receive another surprise - Lauren is pregnant. As Aidan takes a ”time-out” from his mother, Lauren builds on her business and on her relationship with Josh and realizes that she must make up her mind - to ”leave him alone” as his mother asks her to do, or, to invest fully. She chooses the latter. Josh may have turned up late, but he is the love of her life. Aidan is more surprised by the fact that his mother believes her marriage can be saved, than by his revelation of his father’s cheating. As he’s getting ready to graduate and to go on to Stanford med school, he’s beginning to question his plush existence, his purpose, and his closest family relationships. Who is he? And where does he fit in? And why should he become a doctor? During his graduation trip to Europe, sponsored by his wealthy grandparents, Aidan meets Antonia, a girl from another world. She sparks hope in his increasingly disillusioned soul, and he falls madly in love with her, even though they’re headed in different directions, worlds apart. As Aidan comes home early from his trip to surprise his mother, he himself ends up getting the biggest surprise - his mother and best friend are living together. This is too much for Aidan. He retreats and severs all contact with his parents, and with Josh. Aidan is crushed, but he’s starting to build on his long-distance relationship with Antonia. Suddenly his father Mitch reappears in his life, and reaches out to Aidan. As he reconnects with his father, Aidan realizes that he can make a difference in this world, and that he’s able to go his own way, even though he’s continuing on the path created by his grandparents. Together with Antonia, Aidan sets up a charity for an all-girls boarding school in Paraguay, and he uses his contacts to fundraise. After Aidan learns that his mother is pregnant, and that his (former) best friend will father his sibling, he feels he needs to ”block it out”. After some time, and with new perceptions, Aidan opens up to the idea of re-establishing contact with Lauren and Josh, and while attending their wedding, he decides to marry Antonia. During the course of the next 24h, Aidan gets a wife, and a baby sister. Mitch hates to feel controlled. And he wants to be loved, for who he really is. Ever since Lauren asked him to ”stay with her” all those years ago, and when she fell pregnant, Mitch has never been fully convinced that she really loves him. Throughout their marriage, he is ambivalent about his love for Lauren - a deep longing for validation, mixed with a need to be in control. When Mitch meets Ashley, he is seduced by her complete infatuation with him, as well as her die-hard blond ambition. When his son exposes the extra-marital relationship, he still hasn’t made up his mind weather he should stay with Ashley, or stay in his marriage, but he’s heavily leaning towards the latter. Lauren chooses for him. She won’t take him back this time. Mitch decides to propose to Ashley and prepares for a future with her but he soon feels overwhelmed and controlled again. While finalizing the divorce from Lauren he realizes that he still has very strong feelings for her, and he’s infuriated when he finds out that she’s in a relationship with Josh. As Mitch realizes that Aidan is no longer ”siding with his mother”, Mitch seizes the opportunity to try to reconnect with his son. Father and son start to bond again and become ”roommates”, and Mitch finds something he hasn’t experienced in a long time - contentment. With his mother’s increasing demands on Aidan, Mitch’s own unresolved issues with her resurface and he puts his foot down and draws the line - Aidan’s future is his own. In terms of his love life, Mitch intends to honor his promise to Aidan - to ”calm the fuck down” and he develops a friendship with his neighbor, the psychologist Trish. This is a whole new experience for Mitch, and he quickly opens up to her as she makes him feel completely at ease. When Mitch receives an invitation to Lauren and Josh’s wedding, Trish convinces him to attend, offering to come with him as his ”plus one”. The wedding crystallizes the strong affection between Mitch and Trish, and they move beyond friendship, and into a loving partnership with a ”perfect dynamic”. (So no need for Lauren to ”cut up her wedding dress, deep fry it, and eat the whole damn thing for dinner”) ;-) Josh is at a crossroads. He’s been accepted to med school, but he finds himself lacking both funds and motivation. Josh decides to defer his studies and to work his ass off at as a waiter at his girlfriend’s uncle’s restaurant, thinking he’ll save money while working up the desperation to get his post graduate degree. In the meantime, his best friend Aidan prepares to leave his luxurious home and pursue his MD at Stanford, all expenses paid. Right before graduation, Aidan’s mom Lauren offers Josh to move into the apartment annex of the house, temporarily, before the new owners move in. As Aidan leaves home to travel around Europe on his grandparent’s expense, Josh finds himself alone with Lauren, and he really likes it. He’s beginning to notice that his secret feelings for her may be reciprocated, and it doesn’t take long until he ends up in her bed. Josh asks Lauren to be his girlfriend and they plunge head-first into an intense relationship that feels completely natural to both of them, but apparently evokes dislike from others. As a revenge for Josh breaking up with her, his former girlfriend has him fired from his job and he’s struggling to find a new one when Lauren arranges for him to work as a builder at her ”flip” renovation property. Josh finds he really likes his new job, and he’s very happy to be sharing his life, and bed, with Lauren, until one day, when he comes home and meets Aidan there. Their friendship is over. Josh is prepared to make this sacrifice, but he realizes it’s very difficult for Lauren, and that she’s asking herself if she should stay with him. Josh is eager to show his commitment to Lauren, and even has her name tattooed on his arm, but just as he’s starting to feel more confident in their relationship, he receives the shocking news from Aidan - Lauren’s pregnant and she’s having an abortion. Josh’s whole world falls apart, but he manages to convince Lauren to keep the pregnancy in the nick of time. Josh is ready to start a family at 23, and he proposes to Lauren. She says ”yes” but the proposal is followed by a dramatic turn of events and Josh is arrested for suspected assault. Josh is acquitted and starts therapy and the shotgun wedding goes ahead. Josh’s dreams are coming true and he celebrates, hard, only to be brutally faced with the fact of Lauren’s preterm labor. His daughter Lainey is born at 27 weeks and the little family spends months in the NICU, but receives invaluable support, not least by Josh’s mother. In the end, Josh gets the family he’s always wanted and the woman of his dreams.