Reception

Reception is the 4th episode of the 1st season of Ben 10: Eternal Forms.

Script
EXT. STREETS OF BELLWOOD - NIGHT It’s dark. The streets are empty, with the exception of a                  few cars parked on the sides of the road. No one is outside, except for two people. Two men, running. One is a NEWS REPORTER, in a suit and carrying a microphone, and the other is a CAMERAMAN, holding a giant news station camera over his shoulder. The cameraman points up into the sky. CAMERAMAN There they are! We see three figures flying through the air above- one small, one large, and one small but glowing. They’re heading towards the woods. The two newsmen follow them. NEWS REPORTER Just think about it, Barry. "Ben                                           Tennyson, missing for a week                                                straight, finally found by Joss                                             Kane, Channel 5 news." CAMERAMAN Are you sure it’s really him? NEWS REPORTER Of course! My journalist’s instinct never lies. Suddenly, a green flash of light comes from the air. The big one suddenly starts flying downwards, about to crash land somewhere in the woods. The newsmen dart after them. INT. BELLWOOD FOREST - MOMENTS LATER They are deep in the forest, right in front of a CRATER where the large figure landed. They crouch down behind a                   BUSH. The Cameraman turns on his camera and points it                      through the leaves. POV: CAMERAMAN’S CAMERA The camera is a little static-y, not the best sound quality. We see the large figure rise up from the dust cloud. It’s Kevin, mutated form. He picks himself up and dusts himself off, coughing a little. Turns his head to the sky. 2.                                     KEVIN (shouting) Tennyson, you jerk! Ben as Jetray floats down, next to Kevin’s head but not touching the ground. JETRAY Hehe, you had it coming. KEVIN (threateningly) You wanna know what you’ve got coming? The third figure floats down and lands on the ground. It’s Gwen. She looks up at the two. GWEN Guys, calm down! Come on, let’s get out of here before anybody...                                    She halts, and then turns around to look directly at the camera. GWEN ...sees us. Jetray and Kevin turn their heads to the camera too. BACK TO SCENE The newsmen look at each other, frightened. The News Reporter suddenly gets a determined look on his face, tightens his hold on the microphone. He stands up and walks over to them. NEWS REPORTER Hello, I’m Joss Kane from Channel 5 news, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. As he talks, Gwen grabs hold of Kevin’s arm, and they all lift off. They suddenly disappear in a flash of Jetray superspeed, leaving the news reporter standing alone in the clearing. END OF TEASER ACT 1 3.                 INT. TV SCREEN - DAY A fanfare plays as the screen patriotically transitions to a               red, white and blue logo reading "Will Harangue Nation". It transitions again to a shot of WILL HARANGUE sitting behind a desk on the left of the screen with a few papers in               his hands. The music fades into the background. WILL HARANGUE Hello and welcome to Will Harangue Nation, I’m Will Harangue. Our top story for today: A blurry picture from the scene earlier in the episode, with Jetray floating next to Kevin and Gwen coming down from the sky, fades in to his right. WILL HARANGUE Ben Tennyson, missing for seven days, was spotted last night in the woods outside of Bellwood plotting with two currently unknown alien cohorts. What is he up to? No one can know for sure, but I bet he’s helping coordinate some sort of                                            alien attack on America and its innocent citizens. Then again, what can you expect from a boy who drops out of school in the middle of                                             junior year and expects us to call him a hero? The same goes for his partner-in-crime cousin Gwen Tennyson and- The screen suddenly goes black as the TV is switched off. INT. BEN’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Gwen Tennyson is sitting on the couch in Ben’s living room, glaring at the now deactivated TV, holding the remote out towards it. Ben, as Spidermonkey, sits next to her. SPIDERMONKEY Wow, for a second there I thought you were going to blow the TV up. GWEN I was thinking about it. Kevin is by the front door, peeking through the peep hole. He turns his head to his friends. 4.                                     KEVIN The paparazzi’s just getting bigger. GWEN (to Spidermonkey) You’re going to have to show yourself eventually, Ben. This is                                          getting ridiculous. SPIDERMONKEY I know, I know, but...                                                               KEVIN You better do it soon, Tennyson, I’m starting to get sick of                                                sleeping in caves. SPIDERMONKEY That was one night! KEVIN One night to many, if you ask me. SPIDERMONKEY The press was interviewing our parents, we couldn’t let them see us like this! GWEN (half mocking) You just don’t want to let your adoring fanbase down, isn’t that right? Spidermonkey doesn’t say anything, just purses his lips and glances at the door. SPIDERMONKEY Alright, alright. Now’s as good a                                          time as any. He jumps on the floor and starts walking towards the exit. EXT. BEN’S HOUSE - FRONT YARD - CONTINUOUS Ben’s front lawn is completely crowded with news REPORTERS and paparazzi PHOTOGRAPHERS, lying in wait for a chance to                 catch the elusive superhero on camera. There’s so many of                  them that they flood half way out into the street, mingled with the TV NEWS TRUCKS. It’s quiet, but not completely. 5.                 Suddenly, the doorknob turns. The whole area goes silent as                everyone holds their breath. The door opens, and slowly Gwen emerges from the house. She steps back and holds the door open as Spidermonkey walks out. Kevin phases through the wall behind him. Gwen closes the door and the three of them walk down the steps and halt. The crowd explodes. Everyone starts shouting and asking questions and flashing cameras at the same time. They charge forward, trying to get to Ben and the others and get him to                answer their questions. Gwen puts up a mana shield to keep the mob from trampling them. SPIDERMONKEY (shouting) Everybody, STOP! The screaming subsides. They freeze, staring at him in                     apprehension. SPIDERMONKEY Okay people, let’s keep this civilized. I want all cameras on                                           me, because I’m only going to do                                            this once. He glances at a news reporter who is standing right up                     against Gwen’s shield. He points to her. SPIDERMONKEY You, lady in the white shirt. You wanna do the honors? The newslady’s face lights up, and she nods rapidly. Gwen lowers the shield, the lady walks forward. The rest of the paparazzi stays in place, aiming their cameras. The newslady stands next to Spidermonkey, looking down at                  him as if expecting something. Spidermonkey looks back, and raises an eyebrow. She glances around awkwardly, then crouches down so she is at eye level. NEWSLADY So, Ben Tennyson, the world wants to know: who exactly are these two new... others? She gestures to Gwen and Kevin. 6.                                     SPIDERMONKEY Well, actually, they’re nobody new. (points to Gwen) That one’s Gwen, (points to Kevin) and that one’s Kevin. A murmur rises from the crowd. NEWSLADY Wait, really? Wha... what happened to them? SPIDERMONKEY We’d rather not go into the details, but let’s just say that something happened and they’re stuck like this. They’re still the same people inside, though. NEWSLADY I don’t mean to be rude, but why have you been in alien form for this entire public appearance? A rather long pause. SPIDERMONKEY Because... because I have no                                               choice. I’m stuck. And from the looks of things, I’m never going to                                        be able to turn into my human form again. NEWSLADY (shocked) Why not? SPIDERMONKEY Well, in the little fiasco I                                               mentioned earlier that changed those two, I sorta... died. The crowd collectively gasps. SPIDERMONKEY My body did anyway. I had my mind transferred into the Ultimatrix so                                         I can shift into any alien I want, but... my default form has been officially corrupted. I’m not human anymore. 7.                 INT. TV SCREEN - DAY Right after Spidermonkey says that line, the screen zooms out to the typical setting of the Will Harangue Nation show, with the picture of the last scene on the screen to Will Harangue’s left. WILL HARANGUE You heard it right, folks. Ben Tennyson is officially not one of                                          us. Although, if you ask me, the only difference now is that what he                                        looks like on the outside corresponds with who is really in                                          on the inside. The picture fades out. WILL HARANGUE Viewers, let me ask you something. Do you really feel comfortable leaving your safety- as well as                                            that of your family, your country, your planet- in the hands of three "heroes" that aren’t even our species? What’s keeping them from just abandoning Earth, even destroying it? Can we trust them? Will we trust them? As for that last question, if you ask me, my answer: "Not while I’m                                          still breathing." People of the United States- no, People of Earth- I personally promise that I will take Ben Tennyson out of the picture if it is the last thing I                                          do. Goodnight, everybody. The scene cuts to black, and a (real) commercial break begins.