Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 3, Episode 19 - Clipped Wings - full transcript

She's late. She'll be here.

She'd better be. It's not good to
be late for something like this.

She'll be here.

Ruth is not gonna
cut her a bit of slack.

Who's Ruth? The judge.

We go back a long way.

We waded through
the Great Flood together.

(CHUCKLING)

No kidding?
So you're old friends, huh?

I didn't say that.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGING)



Kathleen.
Monica, long time no see.

You're looking very angelic,
as always.

I wish I could say
it was nice to see you.

But you cannot tell a lie.

I remember the rules.

I always hated the rules.

I have an appointment,
and I'm late.

Don't wanna be late
for your evaluation.

I have mine, too.

Few floors down, of course.

(SCOFFS)

These performance evaluations are
so draining, but I'm not worried.

I was a very bad girl this year.

You have an evaluation, too?



See, we're not that
different, you and I.

Yes, we are, Kathleen.
I love God.

You turned your back on him.

(CLICKING TONGUE) Aw, is
he still mad about that?

If you'll excuse me,
I have to find suite 2425.

2425?

It's right there.

Thank you.

My pleasure.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGING)

Hello.

Hi.

Is that clock right, Angel Boy?

This is not good. Where is she?

I wish I knew. I wish I knew.

(SIGHING)

♫ When you walk down the road

♫ Heavy burden, heavy load

♫ I will rise
and I will walk with you

♫ I'll walk with you
till the sun don't even shine

♫ Walk with you, every time

♫ I'll tell you
I'll walk with you

♫ Walk with you

♫ Believe me
I'll walk with you ♫

Monica?

Ah, hello, baby. I'm Tess.

Hello, baby.
I called for Monica.

Well, Monica is not here yet,
but, um...

(STUTTERING) The glass.

I beg your pardon?

You're touching on the glass. I hate
it when anyone touches the glass.

Do I go around touching your things?
I think not.

Well, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean anything...

Well, that went well.

So, uh, speaking of Ruth...

I wasn't. The case is closed.

Are you gonna read this?

Excuse me?

Are you all right?

Oh, yes. I'm... I'm sorry.

I just ran into someone
that I used to know,

and I didn't expect to see her.

An old friend?

Once, a long time ago,

but we went our separate ways.

MONICA: Tess, that's my friend.
That's Kathleen.

She's not your friend anymore.

(SIGHS) But...

And no buts, Miss Wings.

She's gonna walk all over you.

Kathleen, get off of my horse.

Oh, possessive, aren't we?

And we used to share everything.

Why did you do it, Kathleen?
Why did you leave us?

I got an offer
I couldn't refuse.

There was no better offer
than the one you already had.

Oh, the old party line.

Haven't you ever once wondered
what it's like on this side?

No.

Well, we're winning, Monica.

Your job has finally
pushed you over the edge.

Kathleen?

I am an angel.

I care about you, Frank,

and you can't take the
pressure of this job anymore.

You've done enough
good deeds for one lifetime.

It's time to take care
of yourself.

What a perfect plan.

To destroy a man
who repairs broken families.

I'll never forget
who you were, who I loved,

but I can't say
I'm sorry to see you go.

You turned out to be a
hell of an angel, Monica.

Next time I won't
underestimate you.

JODI: That's hard, when
you lose old friends.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Hello, I'm Monica.

I'm Jodi.

Hello, Jodi.

I don't remember
seeing you before.

I'm a caseworker.

File clerk.

Ah.

I didn't know
they had file clerks.

Well, somebody has
to do the filing, I guess.

I suppose so.

I... I didn't expect to come
in here so soon, you know.

I've only been on Earth
for 50 cases,

and I understand you don't usually
come here until you've had 100.

Do you think that means
something?

Maybe they're gonna give me
a new human form

or transfer me
to Acts of God, huh?

I think it means you've come
to the right place.

Good.

It took me a while to get
used to me job, you know,

but they'll be understanding
of that, won't they?

I'll bet you change jobs a lot.

Ah, yes, actually.

I've had some
really interesting ones, too.

(SHOUTING) Run on anything!

(CROWD APPLAUDING)

Let's go. Spread your legs.

All right.

DOCTOR: It's a girl.

Oh, I know.

Oh, I've never seen it
from this side before.

So, you're going up there, huh?

I can't wait to get a look
at the rest of you.

(EXCLAIMS) What the...
Oh, I'm so sorry...

What...

(MICROPHONE FEEDBACK)

What would you like me
to do now?

Tell a joke.

A joke? Just one.

I can tell from just one joke.

Knock, knock. Who's there?

Oh, you heard it already.

(LAUGHING)

Sit.

Sit, sit.

Miss Manners, could
you help me out here?

Ah, good girl.

Thank you very much, Leonard.

It's very nice.

You're not doing anything
abstract, are you?

Oh, no. It's, um...
It's more impressionist.

Pot stickers it is,

and when I get back, I'll help
you out with the envelopes.

Oh, thanks, but I've...
I've finished.

How did you do that?

I'm ambidexterous.

Now, this is Monica. She's
your physical therapist.

Okay. Thanks.

Yes, I'll be, um, physically
therapizing you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

will you please welcome the Elder
Statesman of the Blues, Mr. B.B. King.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

My favourite one
was delivering the baby.

You're very versatile.

Thank you. How many
jobs have you had?

One. File clerk.

Tess, this Ruth thing
is eating you up inside.

Now, you gotta let it out.

All right.

You know, you're bucking for
the Angel of Annoyance Award.

Ruth wasn't always
on the high court.

She used to be a supervisor
like me.

As a matter of fact, she was my
supervisor when I was a caseworker.

Oh.

So you two never got along?

Oh, we got along.
We got along just fine.

Then she changed.

Now, she does everything by the
book, cut and dried, no excuses.

Whoa. Monica's got trouble.

We've got to make sure that
she remembers to tell Ruth

about all the good work
she's done.

Cut it, man.

That doesn't belong to you.

David, pick up your backpack.

There are meadows out there
waiting for you,

and bright skies
and loving friends,

and... and a life so full you
can't even begin to imagine.

MONICA: Oh, Matthew,
God loves you so much.

Now, fight. Fight for yourself.

Get outta here. Me and her, we're
gonna negotiate this ourselves.

Look, I think I changed my mind.

Hey, don't worry about it.
He's waiting right outside.

He'll make sure you get
home okay and everything.

Really, never mind.

Hey, hold on.

I wouldn't waste any energy trying
to figure out what just happened,

because you're gonna need all
of it to find your way home...

And he wrote something on
the back of his donor card.

"Take what you need
and carry on."

"I know I plan to."

They, uh... They say he
was a wonderful person.

Do you ever wonder why some people
must die so that others can live,

or why enemies live
and innocent die?

All the time.

Perhaps it's because we're
not supposed to know.

Never a good reason for death.

You don't know that
until you die.

All I'm saying is, how can
you judge something fairly

when you don't even know
what the rules are?

You can't play God, Joe,

because you aren't God.

(FIRE CRACKLING)

You know, I think Monica
is a terrific caseworker.

Do you really think that Ruth's
gonna give her a hard time?

Ruth gives everybody
a hard time since...

Since?

Tess, come on. Since when?

Well, it happened
a long time ago.

Ruth had her own
special kind of pet angel,

like I have with Monica.
And you, too, baby.

Well, she taught this little
angel everything she knew.

It happened a few centuries ago,

and one day she just...

The Judge will see you now.

Um, Monica's not here.

I know that.
I've done this before.

Well, let's go.

And whatever you do,

do not mention the words
"free will."

The High Court is now in session.
Hello, Tess.

Ruth.

And you must be Andrew.

Yes, yes, I am.

Sit down, Junior.

Tess, you are Monica's
supervisor, are you not?

You know I am.

I only go by the book.

Make a note that Monica
is not present.

Ah, yes, well, um,
she should be here,

but, um, she's not here yet.

(NERVOUS LAUGHING)

She is going to
rip us a new halo.

When I get nervous,
I drink coffee,

and when I drink coffee,
I get nervous.

Would you like a cup?

Oh, yes, please.

I love coffee, especially
double mocha lattes.

Really? Me, too.

That's another thing
we have in common.

I must say, sometimes
I don't know how

I'd get through the day
without a cup.

What's espresso? I always
hear about espresso.

Strong and bitter.

Some people like it like that.

Straight ahead, rich, undiluted,

but there's another side
to an espresso kind of life.

Heartburn.

(CHUCKLING)

Columbian Supremo at 422.

French Roast, 416.

Ooh, something
freeze-dried at 401.

Do you make your lattes
with two percent?

Our whats?

You know, I'll have a non-fat
steamer with hazelnut.

Cappuccino?

L-let's just narrow this down.

We're talking food or beverage?

Give the lady a cup of
coffee and some boiled milk.

Thank you.

Wow, you... you take your
coffee pretty seriously.

I take everything
quite seriously.

It's my best and worst
quality, I suppose.

So, Jodi, what brings you
here today?

It's a long story.

Those are my favourite kind.

Um, I'm... I'm sure that Monica

is gonna be here very soon.

We'll be starting without her.

In addition to this tardiness,

Monica's work has contained
certain irregularities

which violate Statute
Alpha, Bravo, Delta,

specifically Section Two,
backslash Six.

There's a right way
to be an angel

and a wrong way to be an angel.

Monica's a great angel.

Yeah.

Did somebody say something?

Monica has her successes,
I'll grant you that,

but sometimes her work leaves
something, shall we say, to be desired.

Who says so?

You do.

Those files are your reports
of Monica's cases.

You're harder on Monica
than anyone.

Pick a file. Any file.

Did I tell you to think north?

No. I distinctly remember
telling you to get on the bus

and go north.

Go north.

Now, you get your little
angel butt back to the city

and take care of business.

What David needs is his mother,

and all of a sudden my instincts
were kicking in and..

Wait, wait, wait.
Wait just a minute.

Let me see if I
understand you correctly.

You want me to go back to the
Creator of the Universe,

the Alpha, the Omega,
the Great I Am,

and explain that the words of
the Almighty were disobeyed

because Monica's
instincts kicked in?

TESS: You blew it, Miss Wings.

Blew it?

Oh, Tess, I had to try.

Uh-uh, not that way.

That man had a free will of his own
and you took it away from him.

He was not ready to go
into that apartment,

so why are you surprised that
things worked out the way they did?

I was just trying to help.

But you didn't. You're worse
off now than you were before.

I'm sorry. Well, you should be.

You know better. You've got to
remember, there are no shortcuts.

Tess, hello.

Don't you hello me. Your
assignment just walked away.

Oh, no, he's...
He's going to be fine.

He's got a job, he's got a
good head on his shoulders,

he's got a plan to move on. I
think he's going to make it.

Is that Monica the angel
saying that,

or is that Monica I'm-cold-
I'm-hungry-give-me-back-my-coat saying that?

What did I do wrong?

You took the easy way out,

just like everybody
takes the easy way out.

You found a reason
not to get involved.

He doesn't need me. Wrong.

He doesn't want to need you
or anybody else.

His self-esteem may be shot,
but he's still got his pride.

And what am I supposed
to do about that?

Don't you raise your voice
to me, Miss Wings.

You got a little pride thing
going on yourself.

Who are you, and what do
you think you're doing?

I'm an angel sent by God.

Don't tell me God sent you.

You're from Search and
Rescue, aren't you?

Aren't you?

Yes, but I'm on loan
to annunciations.

Have you ever heard
the expression

fools rush in where
angels fear to tread?

No, ma'am.

Well, add it to your repertoire

before you rush in next time

and upset the whole
celestial applecart.

Maybe I exaggerated
on these reports.

I get caught up sometimes.

Maybe I've been too hard on her.

That's right, she has been.

Please, don't help.

Banter. How clever.

Unfortunately,

I'm afraid you don't appreciate
the gravity of the situation.

As Monica has not appeared
in her own defence,

as of this moment
she is officially suspended.

All angel privileges
have been revoked.

She is stripped of her credentials
and her access to power.

Wherever she is,
she is on her own.

I've, um... I've been
having a hard time lately,

in a lot of ways.

Would you like to talk about it?

Oh, um...

Well, I...

I'm not sure.

I do this all time.

Helping people with
their problems, I mean.

That's what I do.

Is this what you're looking for?

(SIGHS)

Don't be afraid, Elizabeth.

I'm an angel.

I was sent to you, and I've
been with you all this time.

Didn't I say, don't be afraid?

You carry this to remind yourself
how close you were to death,

but you're closer now than when this
bullet was three inches from your spine.

Am I hallucinating?

No. I'm very real.

There's something that I need to do.
I want to do.

It's what I need to do
to remember who I am.

Please.

Please forgive me.

It matters.

I forgive you.

Oh, my God.

(SIGHS) God loves you,
Peter Jacob Taylor.

Helping people through their dark
times is my favourite thing.

And if I do say so myself,
I'm pretty good at it.

It's my greatest joy.

You cannot suspend Monica.

Let me say this about that.

Watch me.

Before you even know
the reason for her absence?

Let's ask her, shall we?

Oh, we can't.

She's not here.

This is not acceptable.

You will address this court
with more respect, Tess.

I will address this court
any way I please, Ruth.

I think you need to cool off.

What I need is some respect.

I should be able
to speak in Monica's behalf.

The record speaks for itself.

Monica has completed
50 assignments.

In 28 of those,
I see judgment errors.

Clear violations of Code Seven.

All the rules in the world
will not legislate judgment.

Experience changes judgment,
and nothing else.

Monica's errors have
jeopardized her assignments.

The rules are quite clear.

A ten percent ratio of judgment
errors represents a failing grade.

Let's do the math, shall we?

I'm gonna get Jesse
some ice cream.

It's not every day
you fall off a roof

and get caught by a lady
in a white hat.

MONICA: (SIGHS) I was selfish,
curious, undisciplined.

I took those keys and three lives
were ruined. How could I do that?

That was five years ago, and
you've learned a lot since then.

(SIGHING) Please, Tess,
just fire me.

Oh, now you stop this
right now, Miss Wings.

This is where you're supposed to be.
Trust me.

I do trust you.

It's myself I don't trust.

I don't know what I'm doing, and I
don't know what to do about it.

I've made a mess
that I can't clean up.

What's wrong with this picture?

The human's inside
and the angel's outside.

I know. I feel terrible.

I've never been fired before.

Well, if it was gonna happen, this was the
time for it, 'cause you are moving up.

Do you know where you are?

Well, yes.

801 Cedar Street, Jacksonville.

Terry Hayman.

Though he doesn't much look like
a kindergarten teacher to me.

For heaven sakes,

801 Cedar Street,
Jacksonville, Illinois.

Not Jacksonville, Florida.

Honestly,
am I my angel's keeper?

Police, freeze!
Don't move or we shoot.

I said, we'll shoot! Drop it!

Drop...

You can't ask me to...

Excuse me.

Whoa, I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm sorry to interrupt.

I... I had a thought about, about Jacksonville,
Illinois and Jacksonville, Florida.

This better be good.

You know how Monica sometimes,

although a fabulous
celestial representative,

she does sometimes get
her directions mixed up,

so I thought maybe that's
why she isn't here.

Go. Start looking. Yeah.

Do it now. Okay. Excuse me.

We're gonna put our cards
on the table here.

God gave Monica a heart.

She's only been a caseworker
for two and a half years,

and she's just starting to learn how
to use that precious heart of hers.

Well, time's up.

And I'm so unhappy in my work,

but I don't know
what else to do.

Well, God must've had a reason for
starting you out in the filing department.

Surely he has something else planned
for you down the line, if you want it.

Jodi, tell me,
have you prayed about it?

Prayed?

ANDREW: Monica.

Andrew?

You're in the wrong place. This
is a psychiatrist's office.

It is?

It is.

You mean, she's not...

No, no. So, uh, just come on.
We're in a hurry.

Oh, Jodi, I'm so sorry.
I have to run.

Now? Oh, no, please.

I mean, the doctor's
fine and all,

but I... I really feel like you
understand me a lot better.

Please?

Monica, this is important.

Andrew, I can't leave her.
She needs me.

Thank you.

You're an angel.

Okay, just hurry, all right?

Now, we're in the last office
at the end of the hall.

What... what did he mean
you're in the wrong place?

Jodi, I am an angel.

It's too late. Time is up.

But... Have a nice day.

But, but, but...

It's too late, baby.

We tried, but we hit
the end of the line.

And it doesn't even matter
that you believe I'm an angel.

Sometimes I look like one,

but, well, I guess things
have changed for me now.

But the truth never changes,
so listen to that, Jodi.

Listen to God, and
ask him to help you,

because he will.

Because he loves you so much.

He loves me?

Yes.

He loves me?

God loves me.

That's a laugh.

Kathleen.

Oh, sorry you had
to miss your evaluation,

but at least I'll be
getting a good one.

I don't understand.

You see, my evaluation was based
upon ruining your evaluation.

You should thank me anyway. You're
not cut out for this angel thing.

Oh, and thanks for
the revelation, baby.

It's too late for you, Monica.

They're gonna bust you down to the Angel
of Scraping Gum Off the Theater Seats.

You may have won our battles,

but I would have
to say that I won the war.

Wouldn't you?

Hello, I'm Monica.

Oh, yes, yes.

Buy a watch, and don't
touch the glass.

I know I'm late,
but it wasn't my fault.

Please, if I don't get inside,

I don't know what
I'm going to do.

I'm sorry. I really am.

Tess, Andrew.

Where were you, baby?

Oh, Tess, I feel so foolish.

It was Kathleen who kept
me there all this time.

I knew it. I knew there was
something up with that woman.

Forgive me for
saying this, Lord,

but I'd love to have five minutes
alone with that evil thing.

Her evaluation was based
on keeping me from mine.

(SIGHS) I guess she won,
after all.

She did not win.

She will never win, and don't
you ever think otherwise.

I'm sorry. I'm not sure
what to think anymore.

God has a plan,

and just because you don't know what
it is and I don't know what it is,

doesn't mean that he doesn't know
what it is, and you know that.

You've been in
tougher places than this

and you always got out okay.

I never got myself out of
trouble before, God did.

If I could at least
just get in there,

and find out how he's gonna
get me out this time.

You do not have to go into
that room to speak to God,

and you know that, too.

I've been so afraid
about letting God down

that I forgot about his mercy.

Well, his mercy lasts a lot longer
than any trouble that you're in.

Now, you know what to do,
and so do I.

That, um...
That office down the hall,

it had a cappuccino
machine, didn't it?

Two sugars?

We're going to talk about what
happened to you a long time ago

that changed you
from my good friend

and a glorious angel,

to a pencil-pushing,
rule-spouting bureaucrat,

that's forgotten
what she was put here for.

Tess, this is my job.

You know I have
to do things by the book.

There is only one book, Ruth,

and yours isn't it.

I want to appeal to
the Angel of Angels.

On what grounds?

Monica was tricked by Kathleen.

Kathleen?

Yes, Kathleen.

Oh.

Well, that's...
That's unfortunate,

but even Kathleen
can't be blamed

for all the mistakes
Monica made.

And the fact that,
on this important day,

she allowed herself to be duped.

Allowed herself?

Who are you, Ruth?

You've changed,
and not for the better.

That's not true.

You want truth?

I'll give you truth, baby.

You were the best angel
I ever knew,

but you were done in
by free will.

Did you say "free will"?

You were Kathleen's supervisor when she
chose to go over to the other side.

Yes,

Kathleen chose to go
over to the other side.

Now, maybe you were
her supervisor,

but she made the decision.

It wasn't your fault.

It wasn't my fault.

I... I did my best.

(SIGHS)

And so did Monica,
but you can't accept that.

The day that Kathleen
made her choice,

you made a choice, too.

You couldn't trust your
heart, so you shut it off,

and you replaced it with
rules and regulations,

something black and white,

so you never have to feel
anything ever again.

And now you're making

every good-hearted angel
that comes through that door

pay for the one that got away.

I've failed.

I tried so hard,

and I loved Kathleen so much.

And she just walked away,

like I didn't mean anything.

I lost her.

I lost her forever.

It was my fault.

No, no, it wasn't your fault.

She chose her own way.

But I'll tell you this,

if you don't call
the Angel of Angels,

Monica will be
her latest victim.

Are you still here?

No one in there is gonna
listen to you, you know.

There's no one in there
that I need to speak to.

It's God.

Go ahead, beg him for your job.

Dear God, you know that I'm not in
the habit of asking you for favors,

but today I really need
to ask you for one.

Please, can you find it
in your heart

to forgive Kathleen
for what she has done?

What?

She's lost, and she has
walked away from your grace,

but the dark side
is always the cold side,

and she has seen you
and been with you,

and no matter what, she
cannot forget your grace,

your love, your mercy.

Stop it! Stop it!

So please, God, do
what you will with me,

but forgive Kathleen
for what she's done to me

and for what she has
done to you.

No! No! No! No!

You okay?

He wants to see you.

Who?

The Angel of Angels.

Hello?

Hello, I'm Monica.

Yes, I know.

Monica, I have some things
to say to you.

The first thing is, posture.

Excuse me?

Posture.

Nothing straight is made
from crooked wood.

Sorry.

And you're drinking
too much coffee.

Well, I do like a good
mocha latte, it's true,

but I'll try to cut down.

Try a water-process decaf.

Water-process. Okay.

The Swiss invented
the water-process,

and you know how calm they are.

Yes, well, I'll try to be calm.

That was my first assignment.

Comestibles.

I was the Angel of Comestibles.

And those would be?

Comestibles? Food.

Quality food.

Ah, food.

So, Monica.

Yes?

You've been a caseworker
for two years now?

Yes, and I know why I'm here.

I was late,
and I ruined my exam,

and I'm so sorry, but you
wanted to see me, so here I am.

Yes, you are, standing up
nice and straight.

Thank you.

I... I just want to tell you that I
don't care what happens to me.

I mean, you can demote me, you
can do with me what you will,

you... you could make me
the Angel of Combustibles.

Comestibles.

You could make me the angel that
scrapes chewing gum off theatre seats.

That job's already filled.

I don't care what it is.
Just let me stay, please.

I would rather be a door
keeper in the house of my God,

than dwell in
the tents of wickedness.

Please, just let me stay.

Monica, even if you
failed every assignment,

you could still stay in God's
kingdom, unless you choose to leave.

I would never do that.

I... I don't know how people can
shut God out of their hearts,

but I would never do that.

That's because your heart
is a good one, Monica.

You have a kind spirit.

You love your assignments
and you love human beings.

You've lifted them up, you've washed
their feet, you've blessed their lives.

The Almighty God has given you
the gift of speaking the truth,

but sometimes your heart
gets in the way of the truth.

You let what you feel
confuse what you know.

Yes, I... I know. I know.

Today, I've heard many reasons

why you shouldn't
pass this evaluation.

There's a lot of evidence.

It's all here.

But then you presented me with
the evidence of your heart.

You put someone before yourself.

That showed me that you
know God and who he is.

"Greater love hath
no man than this,"

"that a man lay down
his life for his friends."

You did that. You did it twice.

To help a friend
and then to help an enemy,

because you see no enemies.

Evil is not your friend,

but those who are drawn
to evil are to be pitied,

not hated, and you know
the difference.

You made a good choice, Monica.

Love is always a good choice.

Therefore, you have
passed your evaluation.

In fact, we are expanding
your duties.

You're worthy of leadership.

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

I still get to work
with Tess, though?

Things don't change that much.

And, Monica, remember,

one cup in the morning
is plenty.

(LAUGHS)

I owe you one.
Oh, no. We're even.

I thank you for what you did.

Monica deserves it.

I... I see now

the only thing I didn't do for
Kathleen was pray for her.

That's the best part
of being an angel.

Well, when are you gonna get
up from behind that desk

and get back in the trenches?

(EXCLAIMS) You think
I could do it again?

Why not? You used to be
the best angel I ever saw.

Oh, well, see you around.

Maybe even in the trenches.

I hope so, Ruth.

So you actually saw
the Angel of Angels?

Well, I... I suppose so.

He was very concerned
about my posture.

We'll meet you at the elevator.

I failed. It's over.

I know, but you never
could've won.

Where will you go now?

This was my chance to move up to
caseworker, but I've been denied.

I'm out.

So, where do you go when
there's nowhere to go?

That's not difficult.

If it's mercy
you're looking for,

there's only one place
you can go.

Oh, please.

God could never love me
after what I've done.

Give God a chance, Kathleen.

He surprises people every day.

I guess that's true.

Thanks for the revelation, baby.

This calls for a celebration.
Uh-huh.

Mocha lattes for everyone.

Ah, make mine a double.

Better make mine a decaf.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGING)