FILMOGRAPHY

BLACK SASH

Season 1, Episode 2
Episode Title: Jump Start
Production Code: 175903
Original Air Date: April 6, 2003
Written by Carlton Cuse & Janet Tamaro
Directed by Harry Winer

Summary

      Trip finds Allie standing outside a bulletin board at school, deliberating whether or not she should sign up for the dance squad auditions. She decides to forget about it though, seemingly intimidated by all the other girls.

      As Trip leaves the school that afternoon, he's accosted by a guy that tells him he NEEDS to speak to him. Trip punches him out and rides off on his bike while the man yells after him that he'll regret that stunt he just pulled.

      Trip shows up to practice late and begins practicing with Tory. Tom is instructing his class to see past the palm changes and leave the other people in the room behind in their minds.

      Tom is in court the next day over custody of his daughter. The judge asks to speak to Claire alone in order to get her thoughts on the matter. Phillip and Beth think that this is putting too much of a strain on Claire but Tom reminds his ex-wife that she put him in this position. Phillip says that Tom isn't a good role model because of his time in a Hong Kong prison for selling drugs, but once again Tom has to remind him that he was innnocent and was set up by his "partners."

      Trip helps Tory jumpstart her motorcycle later on, she needs a battery charger but she doesn't have the money to afford one. Trip says he has one she would be able to use, so she offers him a ride to go get the charger.

      Brian is playing the music for the dance squad auditions as Allie walks into the gym. She decided to sign up for the tryouts afterall. Allie asks Brian if he could introduce her to the girls, but he discourages her by saying that it's been the last four girls on the dance squad for the past few years. Discouraged, Allie asks Brian to just take her off the list because it seems like a waste of time.

      Trip and Tory arrive at the garage where Trip has the charger. Trip knows so much about motorcycles because his father put him to work on them when he was about ten years old. Tory notices a Ducati motorcycle underneath a tarp; it used to be Trip's father's ride but since he's in prison, Tory convinces him to ride it. They head out on their bikes, riding side by side down the roads. They stop briefly in an industrial area and Tory's pretty impressed that Trip can ride. When Trip returns home though, he finds the same three guys from before have ransacked his place. Trip alerts their attention by accident and they demand to know where their money is. When Trip has no idea what they're talking abut the three guys start fighting with him. Unfortunately, three to one doesn't make for a very even match and the bangers gain the upper hand. They tell Trip to go see his dad in prison about the money and he's only got three days to do it. Tory shows up a few minutes later; she'd forgotten her backpack. She finds Trip lying on the ground badly bruised. He tells her he was jumped and stops her from calling the police and even from calling Tom.

      The next day Trip and Tory are training, but Trip can hardly hold himself up while doing the patterns and Tom pulls him aside to tell him that if he has a problem he can come to him. Trip tells Tom that it's between him and his father and that's all he can tell him right now. Trip goes to see his father in jail who tells him that they do have his money and his father was supposed to give it to him the night Trip had him put in jail. Trip's dad mocks him saying that he paid for Trip's house and home by running a chop shop for cars, where they break down stolen cars and sell them for scrap parts. His father tells him to go a restaurant called the El Conquistador where somebody owes him thirty thousand dollars that he can use to pay Neil off. He also tells his son to "check the rafters because he might find a friend."

      Tom finds Allie stretching outside. He heard that she was trying out for the dance squad, but she tells him she decided not to bother trying out because it's been the same four girls for the past few years now. He tells her that it'll continue to be the same four girls unless someone steps in that's better. Allie tells Tom that she had a shot when she was 12 and tried out for the San Francisco ballet, but she bombed and froze when she was on stage and she hasn't danced professionally since then. Tom tells her that she did the best she could that day, but that doesn't mean the result will be the same today. He tells her to go for it, and she runs off to school, giddy with excitement. Brian is at school playing the beats while the dance squad teaches the new trainees the routine they'll need. There's also going to be a two minute solo that the dancers will have to perform at the auditions. Allie can more than keep up and one of the main girls on the squad notices that and offers to help her practice.

      Tory finds Brian at the martial arts school the next day, she's worried about Trip and she needs his help to stop him. Brian finds Trip in the locker rooms putting a gun into his pocket (which he found at home in the rafters.) Brian tries to stop him, saying that he doesn't think that he can do this and especially not with a gun because he's more than likely to end up in jail. Brian tells him he'll go with him to the restaurant. While Brian and Trip head off, Tom's daughter walks into the martial arts school looking a little nervous. Tom offers to give her a tour of the school. She asks him why he never remembered Christmas or her birthday and Tom has to tell her that he wrote to her every week and her mom kept the letters from her because she didn't want to hurt her. Claire has to run off because her mother pages her, but Tom was really happy to see his daughter.

      Allie and her friend are training in the hallway at school and Allie's a bit nervous about the competition. Her friend tells her to not think about the other girls and to just show the judges who Allie really is. Allie asks why she's helping her and she says that nobody helped her when she tried out, plus she really want to get one of the girls off the squad.

      Meanwhile, Trip and Brian show up at El Conquistador and ask to speak to Hector. Once they're waved into the backroom of the restaurant, they have a seat at a table with Hector. Trip starts off the meeting nervously and Brian interjects, putting Hector off in a dangerous mood. Trip just wants the money his father was owed and to get out of the restaurant. One of Hector's associates hands him an envelope with the money in it and the two friends bail out of the restaurant immediately. They dive into their car and speed out, elated over their success. Only their success is shortlived when they're stopped by some of Hector's gangsters at the end of the road who demand the money back as a toll fee for driving on their street.

      Tom asks Tory later on if Trip needs help, she doesn't answer him because Trip told her not to, but the answer Tom needs is all in Tory's eyes. Tom finds Trip's room empty and heads over to Trip's place where he finds him in the garage where the cars are kept. Tom tells him that he knows the truth about Trip's situation and he's not going to kick him out of the school because of that. However, at that moment, the three thugs show up looking for their money. The three guys try to pick a fight with Tom but clearly that was the wrong move. He fights back with ease alongside Trip. However Trip drops out of the fight quickly while Tom dispatches of the thugs. The next day Trip is trying to move out of Tom's place because he feels that he betrayed Tom's trust by getting into that situation. But Tom encourages Trip to stay with him because it's unnecessary for him to move out. Trip goes to visit his father in jail and drops off the key to the garage and tells his father that he's through with him. He father starts to make fun of him but Trip just puts down the phone and walks out while his father screams at him angrily.

      After school that day it's the dance squad tryouts and next up is Allie. Tory's in the stands offering her support as Allie takes to the middle of the gym floor and launches into an explosive solo routine that includes not only dance and gymnastic moves but also moves that she learned in her training at Tom's martial arts school. As Allie performs, the judges nod their head in approval and when she finishes, the entire crowd bursts into applause.

      Meanwhile at court, the judge revokes the restraining order keeping Tom 100 yards away from his daughter as she finds it excessive and unnecessary. However, in accordance with Claire's wishes, the court requests more time in order to let Claire think over visitation rights with her father. Tom is disappointed with the result but there is nothing he can do about it for the time being. While he has no visitation rights right now, there is a chance that there will be some in the future. Custody remains with Elizabeth and Philip Rodgers for now. A dejected Tom leaves the courthouse with Master Li at his side. Outside, Trip, Tory, Allie and Brian come over to show their support for Tom. They all leave the courthouse behind and go for lunch. And Tom is silently grateful for their support.

Summary written by Chelle

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Cast Listing

Russell Wong	-	Tom Chang
Sarah Carter	-	Allie Bennett
Ray J	-	Brian Lanier
Melissa Peregrym	-	Tory Stratton
Corey Sevier	-	Trip Brady
Mako	-	Master Li
Martin Cummins	-	Phillip Rodgers
Ona Grauer	-	Beth Rodgers
Valerie Tian	-	Claire Rodgers
Michael Scholar Jr	-	Tough
Moneca Delain	-	Maya
Richard Tyson	-	Mr. Brady
Judy Tylor	-	Kim
John Mann	-	Neil
Steve Bacic	-	Hector