Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 4, Episode 11 - Venice - full transcript
Annie is a bitter widow who is losing her eyesight. She is angry with her friends every since her husband died years previous. The angels help the friends talk to each other and find the truth about the husband's death.
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
#412 "Venice" Closed Captioned
"In memory of Dr. Tommy Doyle.
"1939-1965.
"Gone but not forgotten,
"with love from all his friends
in Blanchard Falls."
Isn't it nice that
after all these years
he has loved ones
who still remember him?
Her name is Emily Vincent,
but, unfortunately for her,
she was not one of
Tommy's loved ones.
She loved Tommy,
but Tommy didn't love her back.
Oh, my.
Well, if Tommy didn't love
Emily, who did he love?
Get out of the way!
You don't own the sidewalk.
Sorry.
Your parents teach
you any manners?
Morning, Mrs. Doyle.
I've been opening my
own doors for 60 years.
I think I can make it
through one more day.
Tommy was in love with her?
That's his widow, Annie Doyle.
She's forgotten
what love is all about.
Seems like a very
sad way to live.
Which is why God
sent her an angel.
There are two
prices on this soup.
That's multiple
pricing, it's illegal.
The box boy made a mistake.
I charged you the lower price.
You're just obeying the law.
Don't make it seem as if
you're doing me a favor.
This is wrong.
You owe me 41 cents.
One quarter, one nickel,
one dime, and one penny.
Forty-one cents.
Annie's been losing her eyesight
for quite some time now.
She doesn't want to admit it.
Poor woman, that
must be terrible for her.
It is, especially for such
an independent lady,
but there are some things
she needs to see
before she goes blind.
What are they?
I'm not sure yet, baby.
Blanchard Falls is a town
full of secrets and lies.
You can practically
feel it in the air.
So my assignment
is to find the truth?
No, the truth will
surface, it always does.
Your assignment is
to be Annie's friend.
Well, that sounds fairly simple.
Don't you believe it.
Annie will want no part of you,
and neither will this town.
Oh, hello there.
Hello.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
PARAMOUNT TELEVISION
♪ 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 tell
you I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
Who is it?
Hello. My name is Monica.
I never buy
anything door to door.
Everyone knows that.
I'm not asking for anything.
I'm offering something.
I'm new in town.
I'm looking for work.
I don't need any help.
I-I noticed that your lawn
was covered with leaves.
It is?
I can handle a rake
with the best of them,
and I bake a mean
peanut butter cookie.
Peanut butter?
That's my favorite.
You see?
We're working well
together already.
There's a cot in the attic.
You'll get room
and board, no salary.
I'm not made of money.
No music, no
boyfriends, no pets.
You don't have any
noisy hobbies, do you?
Not at all.
I pray a lot.
You're not one of those
God squatters, are you?
Well, I do have a
very strong faith.
Faith is like spit.
Fine to have it, just
keep it to yourself.
I'll be right back,
don't bother to sit.
Oh, they brought
the price down...
Most people go by vaporetti,
the water buses that zip
along the Grand Canal.
Only three bridges
span the Grand Canal.
The most famous is the Rialto.
Not a good start!
You've been here five minutes,
and already you're
touching things.
Now let's go.
I'm-I'm sorry.
It's just that I saw
it was about Venice.
Go where?
Less talking and more
driving. You do drive, right?
I must say, I'm not
much at bingoing.
Don't tell me you play
worse than you drive.
My name is Tess.
I'm new here, but I intend
to know everybody's name
before Deacon
Dalripple comes back
from his well-deserved vacation.
What the heck is
she doing back here?
She's here to stick
our faces in it again.
Who's that with her?
She's nobody from around here.
Relative, maybe.
She has no relatives,
you know that.
Annie, those three in the
back, do you know them?
Well, if you mean that old
shrew sitting with two old men
who have no lives so
they sit around all day
talking about everybody else's,
then it's Emily Vincent,
Russell Brewster,
and Marcus Cavanaugh.
All right now, here we go.
G-56.
G-56.
I don't have that one.
Me, neither.
Oh, yes, you do, Annie.
Look.
Oh, yes.
So, you said you haven't
been here in years.
That's right. I stay to myself.
I mind my own business,
not like some others.
B-9.
B-9.
You have that one, right there.
Oh, yes, yes.
I see that.
I-16.
I... 16.
That's it right there, Annie.
I know how to play.
So why today, of all days?
Well, Miss Nosey,
if you must know everything,
because I ran into
Emily earlier today,
and I realized how much I
miss ticking those people off.
Ticking people off?
N-44.
I don't know what that means.
You know.
N-44.
Working their last nerve.
Boiling their blood.
Ticking 'em off.
O-71.
O-71.
What does it mean when you
have them all in a straight line?
Bingo.
Bingo.
I can't believe you won.
Not me, Annie, you.
You won.
I won?
I won.
Are they ticked off?
I believe they are.
O-71.
Give Annie Doyle a toaster oven.
Here, I'll take
it to the kitchen.
Oh, forget it.
Throw it out. I don't need it.
I just knew Emily
had her eye on it.
Why do you enjoy
ticking people off?
Not all people,
just those people.
Why those people?
I have my reasons.
Turn on my tape.
Venice?
Yes, have you been there?
No, but I hear it's wonderful.
Yes.
I first heard of it
when I was five.
My father went there
on a business trip.
He sent me a postcard.
A postcard of a gondola.
A gondola floating
down the Grand Canal.
I couldn't believe
there was water
where streets should be,
and even though I
was just a little girl,
I knew I would have to
see Venice for myself.
And was it as beautiful
as you imagined?
I never went.
Never? Why not?
Monica, we're doing a lot
of talking and no working.
Now get to it.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Maybe you should see a doctor.
I told you, I'm not
made of money.
But there's so much you
have to see before you...
Before I go blind?
I'm not going blind.
Now get to work.
What do you think you're doing?
I was just going
to put this away.
It doesn't go there,
and neither do you.
Stay out of the basement.
I'm sorry, I..
Just stay out.
Never go down there.
Do you understand?
Most people go by vaporetti,
the water buses that zip
along the Grand Canal.
Only three bridges
span the Grand Canal.
The most famous is the
Rialto, which also gives its name
to the surrounding district...
Here the merchants
of Venice congregate,
just as Shakespeare wrote.
The Rialto was the
city's commercial hub,
full of warehouses...
Michelangelo, on a short visit,
designed the Rialto Bridge...
To go anywhere
fast, take a water taxi,
but the slow motion of a gondola
has to be part of the
dream, whatever it costs.
"My dearest Annie...
"I've found the most
wonderful land on earth,
"and it's mostly water.
"The light here is so different,
"almost as if it came
from another sun.
"Your life will not be
complete until, God willing,
"you see Venice for yourself.
Love, Papa."
God willing.
Oh, Annie.
Annie, wake up.
I need to tell you
something, wake up.
What?
I know what it is.
I know what it is you're
supposed to see. Annie?
I want to take you to Venice.
Venice? What?
Yes. You and I are
going to Venice, Italy.
What are you babbling about?
You want to take me to Venice?
Yes. I know how
much it means to you,
and I've always
wanted to see it myself.
How can you just
take me to Venice?
You have a bunch of
those, what do they call them,
frequent flyer
miles or something?
Something, yes.
Oh, Annie, Annie, think of it.
We could be feeding the
pigeons in St. Mark's Square,
drinking coffee at Cafe Florian.
We could take a gondola
under the Bridge of Sighs.
Oh, you know...
maybe... maybe this is the time.
Yes.
Hand me that big book.
It has all the museums in it.
Thank you. Turn
on the light, Monica.
The light's on, Annie.
No, the one in here.
The one in here is on, Annie.
Oh, no.
No!
Not yet.
Not now.
What is it, Annie? What's wrong?
I'm blind.
Dr. Waldron?
I've given her a sedative,
and I've warned her for years
this could happen, but you can't
force somebody to
take care of themselves.
It's just awful.
Well, what goes around
comes around, I guess.
What are you saying, Doctor?
I haven't been in this
house since Tommy.
Look, Miss,
if you take my
advice, you'll get out
of this house and
you won't come back.
I can't come back here.
This place gives me chills.
I'll find my own way out.
What do you mean, Doctor?
Annie, I'm so sorry.
You should be.
I gave up on seeing
Venice 30 years ago.
I guess I can give up
on seeing anything now.
I know how difficult
this must be for you.
You don't know anything.
Get out.
But I know that you need someone
more than ever right now.
I'll get out, Annie,
but I'm not leaving.
Tess.
What were you
thinking, Miss Wings?
I told you she had
to see some things,
but did I ever mention Venice?
Since Venice was
all she cared about,
I wanted her to see
it while she still could.
You're an angel,
not a travel agent.
And God has something
altogether different
He wants her to see.
Your job is to help Annie live
with whatever that
is, whenever that is.
Are we clear?
Yes.
Good. Now...
what do you think
she's gonna do with this
nice little toaster oven?
What?
Well, I, I was
just, I was just...
it's a nice little
oven, and I just...
Where are you taking me?
Just outside to sit down.
I have chairs inside.
I know, but it's
sunnier out here,
and anyway, you've been
inside for over a week.
You need to get some fresh air.
Careful.
Well...
I guess I can look
on the bright side.
I can't see how awful
my lawn is looking.
Annie... tell me
about Tommy Doyle.
Tommy?
Who told you about Tommy?
Have you been listening to those
blabbermouths in town?
Oh, no. I saw the
fountain in town,
and then your
doctor mentioned him.
My husband was very
popular in this town.
People loved him very much.
And you?
Have a cookie.
Peanut butter.
Thank you.
I knew I'd marry
Tommy the day I met him.
I was waitressing.
He was in college.
He'd come by with his books
and we'd talk about all
the places we'd rather be.
He said Venice...
just like my father.
We went together while
Tommy was in medical school.
After he graduated,
we came back here
to get married and
planned a long honeymoon.
To Venice?
To Venice.
But you never went.
No.
Tommy died the
day after our wedding.
Oh, no, Annie.
Please, I don't
want to talk about it,
but I would like to
finish my cookie.
Hello.
Who's there?
It's Andrew. Annie Doyle.
Hello, Annie Doyle.
I told you before,
no boyfriends.
Oh, Andrew's not a boyfriend,
he's a friend friend.
I thought you could
use the company
when I run some errands.
Unless, of course, you're
planning on giving up eating.
You're just going to leave me?
You'll be in good hands.
I'll be right back.
So do you mind if we come up?
We?
Yeah, I brought a friend.
Let's say hello to Annie.
Oh... your friend is a dog.
My friend is a guide dog.
Her name's Casey.
I don't need a guide dog.
Well, maybe she needs you.
So do you mind if I
get her some water?
Suit yourself. There's
a hose on the side.
Thank you.
What are you, a mutt?
You don't smell
clean enough to be a purebred.
They have mouthwash
for dogs now, you know.
Want a cookie?
Hello.
Hello.
My name is Monica,
and I work for...
I know who you are, and
I know who you work for.
Am I ticking you off?
You certainly are.
Learn that from Annie?
What does everyone in this town
have against that poor woman?
Have you heard
that she's gone
completely blind?
Of course I heard.
It's a small town.
Word travels fast.
You don't seem too upset by it.
It's because I'm not.
Sounds like Annie Doyle
got just what's coming to her.
Why is everyone so cruel?
Annie doesn't deserve to be
treated like this.
She deserves it, and worse.
Why? What did she do?
Did you know that
Annie was married once?
Yes, and her husband died.
Tommy didn't just
die, Annie killed him.
Annie killed her husband?
That's right.
Oh, so that's her secret.
Some secret.
Everybody in town knows.
There we are.
Tommy and I at our
high school prom.
Everybody in town loved Tommy.
When he asked me to the prom,
my mother was so happy
that she sent all
the way to Chicago
for special pink organdy
to make my dress.
He was a golden boy around here.
Even my father liked him,
and that never happened,
either before or after.
My father put this picture up.
And when folks would
come into the store
he'd brag.
"That's my future
son-in-law," he'd say.
Tommy proposed to you?
The night of the prom.
I promised that I'd wait for him
until he graduated
from medical school.
He always wanted to be a doctor,
but when his parents died,
the only thing they were able
to leave him was the house.
Annie's house.
Tommy's house.
So the whole town
took up a collection.
Really dug down deep.
We sent Tommy to medical school,
and in return,
he promised to come
back and be the town doctor.
He was going
to open his practice
downstairs in the house.
And we... we were
gonna live upstairs.
Monica, I waited for him...
eight long years.
Bagging groceries and waiting.
Finally, he did come back.
But when he did,
he wasn't alone.
He was with Annie.
Oh... she was just a...
just a trashy, little
gold digger from the city
who had her claws
sunk into a doctor.
Our doctor.
My doctor.
Emily, I've run out...
Are you all right?
She bothering you?
No. Oh, no, she's fine.
She just doesn't know.
You don't know?
I don't believe so.
Well, the day after
they were married...
they were on their
way to the airport
to go on their...
They were going
on their honeymoon.
Nobody really knows
what happened.
Somehow the car ended up in
the river, and Tommy was killed.
He left Annie the house, and
she's lived there ever since.
Are you saying then
that it was an accident?
We're not saying that at all.
There are a lot more
questions than answers.
There was a lot of talk, but
nobody really knows for sure.
There's no proof.
Some folks say that
Annie murdered him
and dumped his
body in the river.
But why would she kill a
man that she just married?
Well, maybe they
had an argument.
Maybe she found out that
Tommy was engaged to Emily.
I loved Tommy Doyle,
and it was never a secret,
and he loved me,
till she showed up.
Emily, sometimes when
our emotions are involved,
it's hard to see things
as they really are.
There's another rumor, Monica.
Some say Tommy
never left that house.
That Annie killed him there
and then faked
the entire accident,
and that he's still
there somewhere.
Which is a very good reason
why she's never moved.
She's afraid they'll
find the body.
Oh, I, I don't believe it.
What kind of a person
would do something like that?
A crazy one.
Usually, when people
go grocery shopping
they get groceries.
All this time, Tess,
I've been feeling
sorry for Annie,
but guess what?
What?
She killed her husband.
Well, did she now?
You said there
were secrets and lies.
Well, the rumor has it the
body is still in the house.
That's why the
doctor wouldn't stay,
and she won't let me into the
basement, not even to clean.
I'm afraid it all adds up.
Well, because it all adds
up doesn't make it the truth.
I'm disappointed in you, baby,
believing that gossip
and spreading it
like it's the gospel.
You're an angel.
You're supposed
to stand above that.
If you want the truth,
go to the source.
Hello?
So how was Casey?
Mangiest fleabag
I've ever come across.
Annie, I... uh... I
ran into Emily today
and she told me what
happened to Tommy.
You're taking her side?
I took you in, gave you
a job and a place to stay.
I'm not taking sides.
Everybody around
here cared about Tommy
and they still don't
know the truth.
All they cared about was
finding somebody to blame.
They never cared about
the truth, neither do you.
Get out.
Annie, have you been
around enemies for so long
that you can't
recognize friends?
You're not my friend.
I want to be, but friends
let friends into their lives.
It's been a long time
since I've had a friend.
Especially one
who bakes cookies.
We were married in the
church down the street.
Same place we played bingo.
Next day we left for the
airport on the way to Venice.
I drove.
It was a beautiful day.
We were driving past the river.
Tommy leaned over and kissed me.
I took my eye off the road.
We hit some gravel...
went into a skid.
We crashed over the
side and into the river.
I guess I blacked out.
When I hit the water, I came to.
Tommy was unconscious.
I pulled him out, tried
swimming to shore,
but he just slipped away
and... was pulled under.
I never saw him again.
Oh, Annie.
They never found a body.
When you don't have a
body, you get rumors instead.
People saying
things, ugly things,
just loudly enough
for me to hear them.
Why did you stay here
and put up with that abuse?
Only cowards run
away. I'm no coward.
If I left, people would
just assume the worst,
that the rumors were true,
so I don't back
down from anybody.
I walk around this town, I
look 'em all straight in the eye.
Except now I can't look
them in the eye anymore.
So the town became
judge and jury.
35 years people have been
saying that I killed my husband,
and... I guess they're right.
I did kill him.
I was driving the car.
I live with that
every day of my life.
I, uh...
I'm a bit embarrassed
to admit it,
but I was a wee bit taken in
by the stories of your basement.
I'm sure there's an
innocent explanation.
Don't even talk
about the basement.
It's, it's just that if people
knew what was in there,
I'm sure they'd stop
believing that you...
I don't care what they believe.
No one goes down
there. Do you understand?
♪ ♪
Curiosity killed the angel.
Andrew, what are you doing here?
Well, I knew that
you couldn't resist,
and I also heard that
you had a question for me.
I do.
I'm not supposed to
be here, but... What?
It's about Tommy
Doyle, a man who died.
I'm afraid I might just
have found the answer.
Well, I don't know what
you were expecting,
but that's all that's
left of Tommy.
That vase. What is it?
Hmm... This glass
is called Murano.
It's named after the
island where it comes from.
It's right next to Venice.
This is the finest
glass in the world.
It's a shrine to Tommy.
Do you remember taking him?
Yeah, I do.
Not the nicest guy in the world.
Really?
Everybody said they loved him.
Well, you know, people change,
and some people, when
they get older, they get crabby.
But Tommy never got older.
He died when he was
26, over 30 years ago.
Monica, I was there.
Tommy died six months ago.
So Tommy didn't die the way
anyone in this
town thinks he did.
I told you, this town doesn't
know the truth from a toenail.
We've got to get 'em
all in the same room
and get a little honesty
going here once and for all,
not to mention a
little forgiveness.
I don't think I could ever get
Annie to come here and do that.
Why not?
Three days ago you had her
nearly on a plane for Venice.
Ah, but she wanted
to go to Venice.
What that sad, angry
woman wants is peace.
Can't you see that?
Secrets and lies and
hostility are not the problem.
They're the symptoms.
There's a disease
to be cured here,
and we've got to get all of
the patients into the doctor.
Now go on, Angel Girl.
Get back with her
as soon as you can.
I'll handle the rest.
I'll do my best.
Monica?
Yes, Annie, it's me.
Where have you been?
Down in the basement.
What?
How dare you.
It's a long story,
but I hope once I tell you,
you'll forgive me.
This is outrageous.
I saw the beautiful glass there
and the photographs of Tommy.
And these.
Letters for you,
post-marked Venice.
Oh, God.
You know.
I didn't read them, Annie.
They're yours, not mine.
But I do know what's in them.
How could you?
Because the truth will
always find a way out.
It can be hidden for
years, but it never gets lost,
because the truth
comes from God, Annie.
God?
Who are you?
I am an angel... sent
by God to help you.
What is this?
God knew that your eyesight
wouldn't last long enough
to see the light of Venice,
but He wants to share with
you something even brighter.
His own light.
God loves you, Annie Doyle.
He does, and He knows you,
and He knows the truth,
and He cares about you
more than you
could even imagine.
God knows everything.
When I was first sent here,
I was told to help you see
something important
before you lost your sight,
and I thought that
that meant your eyes
still had something to see,
but now I know I was sent here
not because your
eyes were going blind,
but because your
heart was going blind.
Oh, Annie,
you've lived in your own
darkness for 35 years,
and so has this town,
and tonight, God wants the
light of truth to shine brightly again
on Blanchard Falls,
and no matter what the truth is,
and no matter how
painful it is to say or to hear,
God is with you
and so am I, Annie,
because that's
what friends are for.
Let me see if I understand this.
You're an angel.
I believe in God,
and I believe that
you're an angel,
but I don't believe that
we mistreated that woman.
She killed Tommy and I know it.
It's not true.
I didn't kill Tommy.
It's time for you to set the
record straight, Annie Doyle.
Go on, Annie.
You can do it.
The day after we were
married, we were on the way
to the airport.
We were early, and Tommy
suggested we pull over
to enjoy the view.
I must have forgotten to
put on the emergency brake.
I heard a noise
and when I turned around,
the car was nearly on top of us.
I was hysterical.
Tommy, Tommy just stared
at the car and he was so quiet.
He wasn't upset at all.
He was thinking.
We climbed down to the car.
I kept saying, "I'm
so sorry, I'm so sorry,"
but Tommy said, "Don't you see?
"This is our chance.
"We'll push the
car into the water
and everyone will think the
current swept our bodies away."
Why would he want people
to think we'd been killed?
I couldn't understand it.
"This is our chance," he said.
"We can get out of
Blanchard Falls free and clear.
No debt, no payback."
I helped him push
the car into the river
and walked back to town
to report the accident,
and then I went home and
waited to hear from Tommy.
He wrote me right away.
I sent him the insurance money,
and he sent me presents.
The beautiful glass
in the basement?
Yes.
Every few weeks, he'd
send me something else.
He even sent me a vial of
water from the Grand Canal.
He sent me beautiful letters...
telling me how much he loved me
and missed me...
and wanted me there
with him, but all the while,
he kept saying the
time wasn't right yet.
He wanted me to
stay in Blanchard Falls
till all trace of suspicion
had died down.
Well... the suspicion
never died...
but Tommy did.
Two years after the accident,
the letters and the
presents stopped.
Not long after that,
I received a note from
a stranger in Venice.
He said Tommy had
died of pneumonia.
I wanted to leave
Blanchard Falls, but I couldn't.
I didn't have any
other place to go.
My eyes had started to go bad.
Oh, I hated this town, but I...
at least I knew my
way around, so I stayed.
I survived by...
making collections
on the telephone,
but that only made
people hate me more.
And that's the only part
of this story that I believe.
You hush.
Is it true?
It is, and I'm sorry
to say there's more.
Tommy didn't die in
Venice 30 years ago, Annie.
He died in California
six months ago.
He had another wife,
one of many wives,
and many lives he chose
to live after you knew him,
and he never kept a single
promise to anyone in 35 years.
He was never going
to send for me?
No, Annie.
No.
But I think he did care for you,
and he wanted to love you.
Some people live their
lives loving themselves first...
Taking, borrowing, stealing love
from anyone kind enough
to give it... and like Tommy,
never discovering
the joy of returning it.
I'm sorry, Annie...
and I'm angry, too,
because look what one
man's selfishness has done.
Monica, would you take me home?
Well, I still have some
work to do here, Annie,
but I think Andrew would
be happy to walk with you.
Hello, Annie Doyle.
Oh, the man with the mutt.
She didn't mean that, Casey.
Tommy hurt her,
but we destroyed her.
And we thought she
owed us something.
Well, she, she did
owe you the truth,
but you didn't make it
easy for her to share it.
And now that you know it,
what are you going to do about it?
Annie, all your
friends are here.
I don't need anybody's pity.
We're not here to give you pity.
We're here to give
you something else.
What else?
Venice.
Venice?
What is that?
My cappuccino maker.
It's being uncooperative today.
Smell.
Oh... Papardelle alla granseola.
Maybe a little too much garlic?
Uh, do you think
there's any chance
of having one of those
cappuccinos now?
It's on the fritz.
Boat's in the water.
Boat? What boat?
It's your gondola,
and I'm your gondolier.
What?
Watch your step now.
Step up there.
Careful. There you are, careful.
Oh... Be careful, baby girl.
Here you are.
Thank you.
Why is everyone doing this?
Because they're trying
to tell you something.
They're trying to say they're
sorry for being so mean.
They're sorry for all the
dreams that didn't come true,
and they're trying to give
you back at least one of them.
Is that a dog?
Well, they have
dogs in Venice, too.
Whose dog is that?
Your dog.
Well, if she really doesn't
have any other place to stay.
She's not bad for a
mutt with bad breath.
So Annie,
how are you liking
Venice so far?
It's nice.
It was very nice
of you to do all this.
I guess this is what
Venice is really like...
sort of.
God doesn't do
things half-way, Annie.
He doesn't give
us some of His love.
He gives you all of His love.
And He doesn't let you glimpse
just a part of your dream.
He lets you see it all.
Look, Annie.
This is Venice.
Can you see it now, Annie?
Can you see the light?
Yes! I can see it all.
It's hard to know the truth.
Yes, but it's better.
It's almost like
she's really there.
Oh, she's really there, baby.
She's really there.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
PARAMOUNT TELEVISION
#412 "Venice" Closed Captioned
"In memory of Dr. Tommy Doyle.
"1939-1965.
"Gone but not forgotten,
"with love from all his friends
in Blanchard Falls."
Isn't it nice that
after all these years
he has loved ones
who still remember him?
Her name is Emily Vincent,
but, unfortunately for her,
she was not one of
Tommy's loved ones.
She loved Tommy,
but Tommy didn't love her back.
Oh, my.
Well, if Tommy didn't love
Emily, who did he love?
Get out of the way!
You don't own the sidewalk.
Sorry.
Your parents teach
you any manners?
Morning, Mrs. Doyle.
I've been opening my
own doors for 60 years.
I think I can make it
through one more day.
Tommy was in love with her?
That's his widow, Annie Doyle.
She's forgotten
what love is all about.
Seems like a very
sad way to live.
Which is why God
sent her an angel.
There are two
prices on this soup.
That's multiple
pricing, it's illegal.
The box boy made a mistake.
I charged you the lower price.
You're just obeying the law.
Don't make it seem as if
you're doing me a favor.
This is wrong.
You owe me 41 cents.
One quarter, one nickel,
one dime, and one penny.
Forty-one cents.
Annie's been losing her eyesight
for quite some time now.
She doesn't want to admit it.
Poor woman, that
must be terrible for her.
It is, especially for such
an independent lady,
but there are some things
she needs to see
before she goes blind.
What are they?
I'm not sure yet, baby.
Blanchard Falls is a town
full of secrets and lies.
You can practically
feel it in the air.
So my assignment
is to find the truth?
No, the truth will
surface, it always does.
Your assignment is
to be Annie's friend.
Well, that sounds fairly simple.
Don't you believe it.
Annie will want no part of you,
and neither will this town.
Oh, hello there.
Hello.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
PARAMOUNT TELEVISION
♪ 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 tell
you I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
Who is it?
Hello. My name is Monica.
I never buy
anything door to door.
Everyone knows that.
I'm not asking for anything.
I'm offering something.
I'm new in town.
I'm looking for work.
I don't need any help.
I-I noticed that your lawn
was covered with leaves.
It is?
I can handle a rake
with the best of them,
and I bake a mean
peanut butter cookie.
Peanut butter?
That's my favorite.
You see?
We're working well
together already.
There's a cot in the attic.
You'll get room
and board, no salary.
I'm not made of money.
No music, no
boyfriends, no pets.
You don't have any
noisy hobbies, do you?
Not at all.
I pray a lot.
You're not one of those
God squatters, are you?
Well, I do have a
very strong faith.
Faith is like spit.
Fine to have it, just
keep it to yourself.
I'll be right back,
don't bother to sit.
Oh, they brought
the price down...
Most people go by vaporetti,
the water buses that zip
along the Grand Canal.
Only three bridges
span the Grand Canal.
The most famous is the Rialto.
Not a good start!
You've been here five minutes,
and already you're
touching things.
Now let's go.
I'm-I'm sorry.
It's just that I saw
it was about Venice.
Go where?
Less talking and more
driving. You do drive, right?
I must say, I'm not
much at bingoing.
Don't tell me you play
worse than you drive.
My name is Tess.
I'm new here, but I intend
to know everybody's name
before Deacon
Dalripple comes back
from his well-deserved vacation.
What the heck is
she doing back here?
She's here to stick
our faces in it again.
Who's that with her?
She's nobody from around here.
Relative, maybe.
She has no relatives,
you know that.
Annie, those three in the
back, do you know them?
Well, if you mean that old
shrew sitting with two old men
who have no lives so
they sit around all day
talking about everybody else's,
then it's Emily Vincent,
Russell Brewster,
and Marcus Cavanaugh.
All right now, here we go.
G-56.
G-56.
I don't have that one.
Me, neither.
Oh, yes, you do, Annie.
Look.
Oh, yes.
So, you said you haven't
been here in years.
That's right. I stay to myself.
I mind my own business,
not like some others.
B-9.
B-9.
You have that one, right there.
Oh, yes, yes.
I see that.
I-16.
I... 16.
That's it right there, Annie.
I know how to play.
So why today, of all days?
Well, Miss Nosey,
if you must know everything,
because I ran into
Emily earlier today,
and I realized how much I
miss ticking those people off.
Ticking people off?
N-44.
I don't know what that means.
You know.
N-44.
Working their last nerve.
Boiling their blood.
Ticking 'em off.
O-71.
O-71.
What does it mean when you
have them all in a straight line?
Bingo.
Bingo.
I can't believe you won.
Not me, Annie, you.
You won.
I won?
I won.
Are they ticked off?
I believe they are.
O-71.
Give Annie Doyle a toaster oven.
Here, I'll take
it to the kitchen.
Oh, forget it.
Throw it out. I don't need it.
I just knew Emily
had her eye on it.
Why do you enjoy
ticking people off?
Not all people,
just those people.
Why those people?
I have my reasons.
Turn on my tape.
Venice?
Yes, have you been there?
No, but I hear it's wonderful.
Yes.
I first heard of it
when I was five.
My father went there
on a business trip.
He sent me a postcard.
A postcard of a gondola.
A gondola floating
down the Grand Canal.
I couldn't believe
there was water
where streets should be,
and even though I
was just a little girl,
I knew I would have to
see Venice for myself.
And was it as beautiful
as you imagined?
I never went.
Never? Why not?
Monica, we're doing a lot
of talking and no working.
Now get to it.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Maybe you should see a doctor.
I told you, I'm not
made of money.
But there's so much you
have to see before you...
Before I go blind?
I'm not going blind.
Now get to work.
What do you think you're doing?
I was just going
to put this away.
It doesn't go there,
and neither do you.
Stay out of the basement.
I'm sorry, I..
Just stay out.
Never go down there.
Do you understand?
Most people go by vaporetti,
the water buses that zip
along the Grand Canal.
Only three bridges
span the Grand Canal.
The most famous is the
Rialto, which also gives its name
to the surrounding district...
Here the merchants
of Venice congregate,
just as Shakespeare wrote.
The Rialto was the
city's commercial hub,
full of warehouses...
Michelangelo, on a short visit,
designed the Rialto Bridge...
To go anywhere
fast, take a water taxi,
but the slow motion of a gondola
has to be part of the
dream, whatever it costs.
"My dearest Annie...
"I've found the most
wonderful land on earth,
"and it's mostly water.
"The light here is so different,
"almost as if it came
from another sun.
"Your life will not be
complete until, God willing,
"you see Venice for yourself.
Love, Papa."
God willing.
Oh, Annie.
Annie, wake up.
I need to tell you
something, wake up.
What?
I know what it is.
I know what it is you're
supposed to see. Annie?
I want to take you to Venice.
Venice? What?
Yes. You and I are
going to Venice, Italy.
What are you babbling about?
You want to take me to Venice?
Yes. I know how
much it means to you,
and I've always
wanted to see it myself.
How can you just
take me to Venice?
You have a bunch of
those, what do they call them,
frequent flyer
miles or something?
Something, yes.
Oh, Annie, Annie, think of it.
We could be feeding the
pigeons in St. Mark's Square,
drinking coffee at Cafe Florian.
We could take a gondola
under the Bridge of Sighs.
Oh, you know...
maybe... maybe this is the time.
Yes.
Hand me that big book.
It has all the museums in it.
Thank you. Turn
on the light, Monica.
The light's on, Annie.
No, the one in here.
The one in here is on, Annie.
Oh, no.
No!
Not yet.
Not now.
What is it, Annie? What's wrong?
I'm blind.
Dr. Waldron?
I've given her a sedative,
and I've warned her for years
this could happen, but you can't
force somebody to
take care of themselves.
It's just awful.
Well, what goes around
comes around, I guess.
What are you saying, Doctor?
I haven't been in this
house since Tommy.
Look, Miss,
if you take my
advice, you'll get out
of this house and
you won't come back.
I can't come back here.
This place gives me chills.
I'll find my own way out.
What do you mean, Doctor?
Annie, I'm so sorry.
You should be.
I gave up on seeing
Venice 30 years ago.
I guess I can give up
on seeing anything now.
I know how difficult
this must be for you.
You don't know anything.
Get out.
But I know that you need someone
more than ever right now.
I'll get out, Annie,
but I'm not leaving.
Tess.
What were you
thinking, Miss Wings?
I told you she had
to see some things,
but did I ever mention Venice?
Since Venice was
all she cared about,
I wanted her to see
it while she still could.
You're an angel,
not a travel agent.
And God has something
altogether different
He wants her to see.
Your job is to help Annie live
with whatever that
is, whenever that is.
Are we clear?
Yes.
Good. Now...
what do you think
she's gonna do with this
nice little toaster oven?
What?
Well, I, I was
just, I was just...
it's a nice little
oven, and I just...
Where are you taking me?
Just outside to sit down.
I have chairs inside.
I know, but it's
sunnier out here,
and anyway, you've been
inside for over a week.
You need to get some fresh air.
Careful.
Well...
I guess I can look
on the bright side.
I can't see how awful
my lawn is looking.
Annie... tell me
about Tommy Doyle.
Tommy?
Who told you about Tommy?
Have you been listening to those
blabbermouths in town?
Oh, no. I saw the
fountain in town,
and then your
doctor mentioned him.
My husband was very
popular in this town.
People loved him very much.
And you?
Have a cookie.
Peanut butter.
Thank you.
I knew I'd marry
Tommy the day I met him.
I was waitressing.
He was in college.
He'd come by with his books
and we'd talk about all
the places we'd rather be.
He said Venice...
just like my father.
We went together while
Tommy was in medical school.
After he graduated,
we came back here
to get married and
planned a long honeymoon.
To Venice?
To Venice.
But you never went.
No.
Tommy died the
day after our wedding.
Oh, no, Annie.
Please, I don't
want to talk about it,
but I would like to
finish my cookie.
Hello.
Who's there?
It's Andrew. Annie Doyle.
Hello, Annie Doyle.
I told you before,
no boyfriends.
Oh, Andrew's not a boyfriend,
he's a friend friend.
I thought you could
use the company
when I run some errands.
Unless, of course, you're
planning on giving up eating.
You're just going to leave me?
You'll be in good hands.
I'll be right back.
So do you mind if we come up?
We?
Yeah, I brought a friend.
Let's say hello to Annie.
Oh... your friend is a dog.
My friend is a guide dog.
Her name's Casey.
I don't need a guide dog.
Well, maybe she needs you.
So do you mind if I
get her some water?
Suit yourself. There's
a hose on the side.
Thank you.
What are you, a mutt?
You don't smell
clean enough to be a purebred.
They have mouthwash
for dogs now, you know.
Want a cookie?
Hello.
Hello.
My name is Monica,
and I work for...
I know who you are, and
I know who you work for.
Am I ticking you off?
You certainly are.
Learn that from Annie?
What does everyone in this town
have against that poor woman?
Have you heard
that she's gone
completely blind?
Of course I heard.
It's a small town.
Word travels fast.
You don't seem too upset by it.
It's because I'm not.
Sounds like Annie Doyle
got just what's coming to her.
Why is everyone so cruel?
Annie doesn't deserve to be
treated like this.
She deserves it, and worse.
Why? What did she do?
Did you know that
Annie was married once?
Yes, and her husband died.
Tommy didn't just
die, Annie killed him.
Annie killed her husband?
That's right.
Oh, so that's her secret.
Some secret.
Everybody in town knows.
There we are.
Tommy and I at our
high school prom.
Everybody in town loved Tommy.
When he asked me to the prom,
my mother was so happy
that she sent all
the way to Chicago
for special pink organdy
to make my dress.
He was a golden boy around here.
Even my father liked him,
and that never happened,
either before or after.
My father put this picture up.
And when folks would
come into the store
he'd brag.
"That's my future
son-in-law," he'd say.
Tommy proposed to you?
The night of the prom.
I promised that I'd wait for him
until he graduated
from medical school.
He always wanted to be a doctor,
but when his parents died,
the only thing they were able
to leave him was the house.
Annie's house.
Tommy's house.
So the whole town
took up a collection.
Really dug down deep.
We sent Tommy to medical school,
and in return,
he promised to come
back and be the town doctor.
He was going
to open his practice
downstairs in the house.
And we... we were
gonna live upstairs.
Monica, I waited for him...
eight long years.
Bagging groceries and waiting.
Finally, he did come back.
But when he did,
he wasn't alone.
He was with Annie.
Oh... she was just a...
just a trashy, little
gold digger from the city
who had her claws
sunk into a doctor.
Our doctor.
My doctor.
Emily, I've run out...
Are you all right?
She bothering you?
No. Oh, no, she's fine.
She just doesn't know.
You don't know?
I don't believe so.
Well, the day after
they were married...
they were on their
way to the airport
to go on their...
They were going
on their honeymoon.
Nobody really knows
what happened.
Somehow the car ended up in
the river, and Tommy was killed.
He left Annie the house, and
she's lived there ever since.
Are you saying then
that it was an accident?
We're not saying that at all.
There are a lot more
questions than answers.
There was a lot of talk, but
nobody really knows for sure.
There's no proof.
Some folks say that
Annie murdered him
and dumped his
body in the river.
But why would she kill a
man that she just married?
Well, maybe they
had an argument.
Maybe she found out that
Tommy was engaged to Emily.
I loved Tommy Doyle,
and it was never a secret,
and he loved me,
till she showed up.
Emily, sometimes when
our emotions are involved,
it's hard to see things
as they really are.
There's another rumor, Monica.
Some say Tommy
never left that house.
That Annie killed him there
and then faked
the entire accident,
and that he's still
there somewhere.
Which is a very good reason
why she's never moved.
She's afraid they'll
find the body.
Oh, I, I don't believe it.
What kind of a person
would do something like that?
A crazy one.
Usually, when people
go grocery shopping
they get groceries.
All this time, Tess,
I've been feeling
sorry for Annie,
but guess what?
What?
She killed her husband.
Well, did she now?
You said there
were secrets and lies.
Well, the rumor has it the
body is still in the house.
That's why the
doctor wouldn't stay,
and she won't let me into the
basement, not even to clean.
I'm afraid it all adds up.
Well, because it all adds
up doesn't make it the truth.
I'm disappointed in you, baby,
believing that gossip
and spreading it
like it's the gospel.
You're an angel.
You're supposed
to stand above that.
If you want the truth,
go to the source.
Hello?
So how was Casey?
Mangiest fleabag
I've ever come across.
Annie, I... uh... I
ran into Emily today
and she told me what
happened to Tommy.
You're taking her side?
I took you in, gave you
a job and a place to stay.
I'm not taking sides.
Everybody around
here cared about Tommy
and they still don't
know the truth.
All they cared about was
finding somebody to blame.
They never cared about
the truth, neither do you.
Get out.
Annie, have you been
around enemies for so long
that you can't
recognize friends?
You're not my friend.
I want to be, but friends
let friends into their lives.
It's been a long time
since I've had a friend.
Especially one
who bakes cookies.
We were married in the
church down the street.
Same place we played bingo.
Next day we left for the
airport on the way to Venice.
I drove.
It was a beautiful day.
We were driving past the river.
Tommy leaned over and kissed me.
I took my eye off the road.
We hit some gravel...
went into a skid.
We crashed over the
side and into the river.
I guess I blacked out.
When I hit the water, I came to.
Tommy was unconscious.
I pulled him out, tried
swimming to shore,
but he just slipped away
and... was pulled under.
I never saw him again.
Oh, Annie.
They never found a body.
When you don't have a
body, you get rumors instead.
People saying
things, ugly things,
just loudly enough
for me to hear them.
Why did you stay here
and put up with that abuse?
Only cowards run
away. I'm no coward.
If I left, people would
just assume the worst,
that the rumors were true,
so I don't back
down from anybody.
I walk around this town, I
look 'em all straight in the eye.
Except now I can't look
them in the eye anymore.
So the town became
judge and jury.
35 years people have been
saying that I killed my husband,
and... I guess they're right.
I did kill him.
I was driving the car.
I live with that
every day of my life.
I, uh...
I'm a bit embarrassed
to admit it,
but I was a wee bit taken in
by the stories of your basement.
I'm sure there's an
innocent explanation.
Don't even talk
about the basement.
It's, it's just that if people
knew what was in there,
I'm sure they'd stop
believing that you...
I don't care what they believe.
No one goes down
there. Do you understand?
♪ ♪
Curiosity killed the angel.
Andrew, what are you doing here?
Well, I knew that
you couldn't resist,
and I also heard that
you had a question for me.
I do.
I'm not supposed to
be here, but... What?
It's about Tommy
Doyle, a man who died.
I'm afraid I might just
have found the answer.
Well, I don't know what
you were expecting,
but that's all that's
left of Tommy.
That vase. What is it?
Hmm... This glass
is called Murano.
It's named after the
island where it comes from.
It's right next to Venice.
This is the finest
glass in the world.
It's a shrine to Tommy.
Do you remember taking him?
Yeah, I do.
Not the nicest guy in the world.
Really?
Everybody said they loved him.
Well, you know, people change,
and some people, when
they get older, they get crabby.
But Tommy never got older.
He died when he was
26, over 30 years ago.
Monica, I was there.
Tommy died six months ago.
So Tommy didn't die the way
anyone in this
town thinks he did.
I told you, this town doesn't
know the truth from a toenail.
We've got to get 'em
all in the same room
and get a little honesty
going here once and for all,
not to mention a
little forgiveness.
I don't think I could ever get
Annie to come here and do that.
Why not?
Three days ago you had her
nearly on a plane for Venice.
Ah, but she wanted
to go to Venice.
What that sad, angry
woman wants is peace.
Can't you see that?
Secrets and lies and
hostility are not the problem.
They're the symptoms.
There's a disease
to be cured here,
and we've got to get all of
the patients into the doctor.
Now go on, Angel Girl.
Get back with her
as soon as you can.
I'll handle the rest.
I'll do my best.
Monica?
Yes, Annie, it's me.
Where have you been?
Down in the basement.
What?
How dare you.
It's a long story,
but I hope once I tell you,
you'll forgive me.
This is outrageous.
I saw the beautiful glass there
and the photographs of Tommy.
And these.
Letters for you,
post-marked Venice.
Oh, God.
You know.
I didn't read them, Annie.
They're yours, not mine.
But I do know what's in them.
How could you?
Because the truth will
always find a way out.
It can be hidden for
years, but it never gets lost,
because the truth
comes from God, Annie.
God?
Who are you?
I am an angel... sent
by God to help you.
What is this?
God knew that your eyesight
wouldn't last long enough
to see the light of Venice,
but He wants to share with
you something even brighter.
His own light.
God loves you, Annie Doyle.
He does, and He knows you,
and He knows the truth,
and He cares about you
more than you
could even imagine.
God knows everything.
When I was first sent here,
I was told to help you see
something important
before you lost your sight,
and I thought that
that meant your eyes
still had something to see,
but now I know I was sent here
not because your
eyes were going blind,
but because your
heart was going blind.
Oh, Annie,
you've lived in your own
darkness for 35 years,
and so has this town,
and tonight, God wants the
light of truth to shine brightly again
on Blanchard Falls,
and no matter what the truth is,
and no matter how
painful it is to say or to hear,
God is with you
and so am I, Annie,
because that's
what friends are for.
Let me see if I understand this.
You're an angel.
I believe in God,
and I believe that
you're an angel,
but I don't believe that
we mistreated that woman.
She killed Tommy and I know it.
It's not true.
I didn't kill Tommy.
It's time for you to set the
record straight, Annie Doyle.
Go on, Annie.
You can do it.
The day after we were
married, we were on the way
to the airport.
We were early, and Tommy
suggested we pull over
to enjoy the view.
I must have forgotten to
put on the emergency brake.
I heard a noise
and when I turned around,
the car was nearly on top of us.
I was hysterical.
Tommy, Tommy just stared
at the car and he was so quiet.
He wasn't upset at all.
He was thinking.
We climbed down to the car.
I kept saying, "I'm
so sorry, I'm so sorry,"
but Tommy said, "Don't you see?
"This is our chance.
"We'll push the
car into the water
and everyone will think the
current swept our bodies away."
Why would he want people
to think we'd been killed?
I couldn't understand it.
"This is our chance," he said.
"We can get out of
Blanchard Falls free and clear.
No debt, no payback."
I helped him push
the car into the river
and walked back to town
to report the accident,
and then I went home and
waited to hear from Tommy.
He wrote me right away.
I sent him the insurance money,
and he sent me presents.
The beautiful glass
in the basement?
Yes.
Every few weeks, he'd
send me something else.
He even sent me a vial of
water from the Grand Canal.
He sent me beautiful letters...
telling me how much he loved me
and missed me...
and wanted me there
with him, but all the while,
he kept saying the
time wasn't right yet.
He wanted me to
stay in Blanchard Falls
till all trace of suspicion
had died down.
Well... the suspicion
never died...
but Tommy did.
Two years after the accident,
the letters and the
presents stopped.
Not long after that,
I received a note from
a stranger in Venice.
He said Tommy had
died of pneumonia.
I wanted to leave
Blanchard Falls, but I couldn't.
I didn't have any
other place to go.
My eyes had started to go bad.
Oh, I hated this town, but I...
at least I knew my
way around, so I stayed.
I survived by...
making collections
on the telephone,
but that only made
people hate me more.
And that's the only part
of this story that I believe.
You hush.
Is it true?
It is, and I'm sorry
to say there's more.
Tommy didn't die in
Venice 30 years ago, Annie.
He died in California
six months ago.
He had another wife,
one of many wives,
and many lives he chose
to live after you knew him,
and he never kept a single
promise to anyone in 35 years.
He was never going
to send for me?
No, Annie.
No.
But I think he did care for you,
and he wanted to love you.
Some people live their
lives loving themselves first...
Taking, borrowing, stealing love
from anyone kind enough
to give it... and like Tommy,
never discovering
the joy of returning it.
I'm sorry, Annie...
and I'm angry, too,
because look what one
man's selfishness has done.
Monica, would you take me home?
Well, I still have some
work to do here, Annie,
but I think Andrew would
be happy to walk with you.
Hello, Annie Doyle.
Oh, the man with the mutt.
She didn't mean that, Casey.
Tommy hurt her,
but we destroyed her.
And we thought she
owed us something.
Well, she, she did
owe you the truth,
but you didn't make it
easy for her to share it.
And now that you know it,
what are you going to do about it?
Annie, all your
friends are here.
I don't need anybody's pity.
We're not here to give you pity.
We're here to give
you something else.
What else?
Venice.
Venice?
What is that?
My cappuccino maker.
It's being uncooperative today.
Smell.
Oh... Papardelle alla granseola.
Maybe a little too much garlic?
Uh, do you think
there's any chance
of having one of those
cappuccinos now?
It's on the fritz.
Boat's in the water.
Boat? What boat?
It's your gondola,
and I'm your gondolier.
What?
Watch your step now.
Step up there.
Careful. There you are, careful.
Oh... Be careful, baby girl.
Here you are.
Thank you.
Why is everyone doing this?
Because they're trying
to tell you something.
They're trying to say they're
sorry for being so mean.
They're sorry for all the
dreams that didn't come true,
and they're trying to give
you back at least one of them.
Is that a dog?
Well, they have
dogs in Venice, too.
Whose dog is that?
Your dog.
Well, if she really doesn't
have any other place to stay.
She's not bad for a
mutt with bad breath.
So Annie,
how are you liking
Venice so far?
It's nice.
It was very nice
of you to do all this.
I guess this is what
Venice is really like...
sort of.
God doesn't do
things half-way, Annie.
He doesn't give
us some of His love.
He gives you all of His love.
And He doesn't let you glimpse
just a part of your dream.
He lets you see it all.
Look, Annie.
This is Venice.
Can you see it now, Annie?
Can you see the light?
Yes! I can see it all.
It's hard to know the truth.
Yes, but it's better.
It's almost like
she's really there.
Oh, she's really there, baby.
She's really there.
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