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Whenever a story
hits the airwaves, it is rarely what was written in the first
draft. Other writers have their input, actors' availability
chances, budgetary cocerns
arise, and more. When Corey Miller and
Philip Chung first came up with the story that eventually became
"Seconds," you'll see that their first draft was vastly
different. Corey's interview tells
some of the reasons of the hows and whys things changed.
This
isn't to say anything is better than the other; but it is an
interesting look at an alternate take. Thanks again to Corey
Miller for sharing. The outline is below, and is copyrighted
to its respective owners.
By
this version of the outline, the cliffhanger at the end of "Double
Jeopardy" was known, as was the way they wanted the story
to end. This version of the outline is the most like what finally
hit the airwaves, with the exception of a different ending for
the Lois clone, and the presence of Mindy Church to team up
with Lex. Enjoy!
Read
the previous draft
LOIS
AND CLARK
"MEMORY LANE"
Episode 17
Story: 12/19/95
TEASE
1.
STREET - Lex(Kent) and Lois(Wanda Detroit) speed away in their
car, escaping from Superman.
2.
SKY(STOCK) - Superman flies, looking for Lex and Lois.
3. SEEDY BAR - Lex and Lois enter. Lois asks her man "Kent"
what they are doing, and Lex tells her that they have come to
meet with a contact who can help them. A smattering of BARFLIES,
the definitive dregs of humanity, litter the place.
A TRAIN passes by, obnoxiously loud, and rattles the entire
bar. Some MYSTERY MEN enter the bar from the back, led by a
man named MAX. Max, a cool and reserved sort, leads them the
way out the back door and says "Your contact awaits you."
Superman
enters the bar. The barflies have a field day with him--Superman
is greeted with hoots and sneers. Superman questions the barflies
as to Lois' whereabouts. A particu-larly drunk and irate WINO
uses this opportunity to try and kick some superhero butt--trying
in vain to hurt Superman by smashing a bottle on his head, head-butting
him, throwing a chair at him--but Superman shrugs the wino off
like an annoying gnat. Superman uses his X-ray vision to scan
the bar, but sees nothing suspicious. INTERCUT:
4.
CORRIDOR - Max leads Lex, Lois, and some of the mystery men
down a dark and twisting corridor, a lead-lined labyrinth.
5.
SEEDY BAR - Superman continues to be mocked by the barflies.
Superman, realizing he is wasting time, storms out of the bar,
pissed. On the way out he pushes a pool table across the room
as the patrons laugh.
6.
BUNKER - Lex, Lois and Max enter a large underground bunker,
dank and decrepit. MINDY CHURCH steps out from the shadows,
having dropped her bubbly pretense. She asks Lex why he wanted
to meet with her. Lex: "I have an offer to make that you
cannot refuse. Allow me to introduce you to my partner, Wanda
Detroit." Lex, sotto to Mindy: "She's going to kill
Superman."
ACT ONE
1.
BUNKER - Lex and Mindy talk in private. Mindy: "That's
Lois Lane." Lex says that she has a keen grasp of the obvious,
and then gets to his point. Lex needs a good cover and Intergang's
resources. Mindy: "Why do I need you?" Lex explains
that his goal is sweet and simple--to use Lois as a decoy and
assassin to kill Superman, thereby getting rid of the one stumbling
block to her complete domination of Metropolis. Mindy scoffs
at that notion. Hasn't each and every heavy in town tried to
kill Superman at one point? Hasn't Lex himself tried and failed
over and over again? Lex tells her that Lois' memory is a blank
slate, and that she only "remembers" what Lex tells
her that she remembers. Lex says that after Superman is dead,
Mindy will give him 500 million dollars, exactly one-third of
Intergang's net worth. Mindy: "Let's get something straight--I
only act stupid." Lex: "Your front for Intergang is
a thrift store, for God's sake. How brilliant is that?"
Mindy says that everyone knows Lex is madly in love with Lois.
Why is he risking her life and his own? Because, Lex says, the
act of killing Superman is so completely amoral that it will
bind her to him forever. Lex: "I am going to mold her into
my perfect mate."
2.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark talks to Martha and Jonathan. Clark
tells his parents that he has discovered that Lois is actually
a clone that Lex made so he could kidnap the real Lois. Martha
and Jonathan react with their usual aplomb. Clark says he needs
them to watch over the clone while he looks for Lois, and for
them to keep their eyes open--the clone is a real handful. Clark
says he has asked Jimmy to do some research on what makes the
clones tick--that way he might be better able to handle her.
Clark points to some shopping bags by the door--the clone went
out shopping again and went crazy. The clone eats a frog and
then goes over to Clark, dripping with energy. She wants to
go shopping some more, and with her lit-up goo-goo eyes asks
him if he can change into Superman because Paris is the best
place to shop. Of course not, Clark says, Superman doesn't have
time for things like that. The clone suggests that they can
go dancing in Monte Carlo, or out to dinner in Italy. Clark
says he has to leave and look for Lois. The clone pouts, saying
that Clark's no fun.
3.
DAILY PLANET - Clark types on his computer, investigating. Perry
and Jimmy ask about Lois, and Clark makes excuses why she isn't
at work--"Lois really hasn't been herself lately."
Perry says that it's a bad time for her to be running off--the
Planet's new publisher, ALEX BRADSHAW, is on her way over, and
rumor has it that she is tough as nails. There is no doubt that
she'd like to see "Lane & Kent" in action. Perry
says some mocking comment about how the new publisher is probably
some Yuppie number-cruncher with no instincts to run a real
newspaper. Just then, a very attractive older woman walks up
to Perry and introduces herself--as Alex Bradshaw, "number
cruncher." Perry puts his foot in his mouth. She abruptly
tells Perry that circulation is stagnant, advertising is down
and that they'll talk it over during dinner--she needs to see
him in his office right now. Perry follows, bewildered and speechless
for perhaps the first time in his life.
The
clone enters the Planet and goes to Clark, obnoxious and flamboyant.
Clark is embarrassed. She almost gives away his secret identity,
and to shut her up he promises that Superman will fly her around
the city later if she behaves. The clone smiles, giddy. Martha
and Jonathan walk in and apologize for letting the clone get
away. Martha tells Clark that they are almost out of frogs for
the clone to eat. Clark says that he doesn't care if they feed
the clone cockroaches, just get her out of here. Meanwhile,
as this happens, a THUG walks up to the clone and says, "Miss
Lane?" The clone smiles, says yes, she is the one and only.
At that moment, a story comes over the wire--there is a hurricane
in the Carribean. Clark says that he has to go. The thug pulls
a gun on the clone, saying that Lois was responsible for putting
him in jail, and now he will get his revenge. The clone gets
nervous and backpedals, saying she was just kidding--she's not
the real Lois, just a clone of her. The thug scoffs at that
notion and fires his gun at her. Clark jumps in front of the
bullet as the clone screams, terrified. Clark dives on the ground,
the bullet in his hand, and as the thug gets ready to fire again,
Clark kicks a chair at him hard enough to push the thug back
into a wall, knocking him out. Clark rushes off to go to the
Carribean, telling them to call the police. The clone is left
in a breathless stupor.
4.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - Coming off of that adventure, Martha gives
the clone something calm to do, telling her she can look through
a box of Lois' stuff. The clone finds Lois' old Superman scrapbook
and pages through it. As she looks at the various photos of
Superman saving multitudes of people, the clone tells Martha
that she cannot believe she asked Superman to fly all over the
world just to take her shopping. She had been so petty, so selfish.
Clark jumped in front of a bullet for her. The clone vows to
be a better person, starting by giving all of the things that
she bought to charity. Clark enters and goes to the clone, holding
a bucket out to her. It's a bucket of frogs. The clone's eyes
swoon--how did he know she needed them? She asks where he got
them. Clark makes the familiar hand flying motion. "You
flew halfway around the world for me?" the clone says,
elated. Clark shrugs it off, saying that she needed them. The
clone smiles, happily in love.
5.
BUNKER - Lex privately reads the "Wanda Detroit" manuscript,
and the familiar train noise and racket ensues, making Lex look
around as if saying "What the hell am I doing with these
people?" Lex goes to Lois, greets her lovingly as she wakes
up from a nap. He asks Lois if she remembers how they met, and
she says no, her memories are cloudy. Lex tells her a "story,"
which is actually from Lois' novel. Lex says that he wandered
into the "Ace O' Clubs" bar to get a drink. "Wanda"
was in the midst of a song, and he was mesmorized by it, drawn
to her. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He
knew at that moment that love at first sight was really possible.
He waited around for Wanda to finish her set, and he was going
to approach her, ask her out to dinner. At that moment he was
interrupted by Clark, who began to grab Wanda and rough her
up. "Kent" intervened to help Wanda and Clark shot
him, putting a bullet right through Kent's left arm. When he
awoke from unconsciousness, Wanda was with him, taking care
of him, dressing his wound and nursing him back to health. They
shared their innermost thoughts that night. Soon, Kent and Wanda
were inseparable. Lex says that he'll never forget how she helped
him by caring for him in his time of need, and that he'd move
heaven and earth to protect her. Lois is smitten by his loving
talk, and they kiss. Lex grabs some pictures and shows them
to her. The pictures are of Lex and Lois from their wedding
day(first season). Lex says that they were to be married, but
one man, working for Clark, a man more powerful than normal
men, jeopardized all of that and tore them apart. This man will
find Wanda no matter what happens, take her back to Clark and
kill Kent. Lex convinces Lois that if they kill this man, there
will be no more pain or loneliness in their lives ever again.
Lois asks who this man is, and Lex says, "In all his arrogance,
he calls himself Superman." "Super-who?" says
Lois.
ACT TWO
1.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark returns home feeling defeated after
finding no leads looking for Lois. The clone pays a lot of attention
to him, having cooked him a feast for dinner, and although Clark
tries to be appreciative he can't get out of his blue mood.
Clark tells his parents that he feels helpless without Lois
around. He loved her for so many reasons. She would find leads
that no one else could, she would suggest plans of action...she
would fill in all his blanks. The clone overhears and perks
up. Martha insists that Clark get some rest, but he says no,
he cannot rest with Lois out there, possibly hurt. Clark spins
into Superman and flies off, the clone saying "Bye, Clark...be
careful."
The
clone and Martha speak. The clone says that Clark is really
sad, and that she wants to help him because she loves him. Martha
says that people in love naturally want to do whatever they
can to make their loved one happy. The clone tells Martha that
she is going to look through the files on Lois' powerbook and
see if there is anything in Lois' files that can help Clark.
2. DAILY PLANET - Jimmy tells Clark that he did some checking
around on the clones(from episode 15) like Clark had asked.
He found out that the clones died that morning of unexplained
natural causes, and Dr. Klein is trying to discover why.
Perry
tries to keep himself busy in his office, but he keeps looking
at the phone, waiting for Alex to call. Perry talks to his Elvis
photo, saying that he never thought he'd be able to look at
another woman besides Alice again, but he had such a great time
at dinner with Alex that he's actually beginning to wonder.
"I've left three messages--why hasn't she called yet?"
The phone rings, and Perry pounces on it, suddenly trying to
act cool--but it's not Alex.
3.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - The clone tells Martha that she has tried
five of Lois' street sources, but no one has been able to help.
The clone is frustrated, and says that Lois must be a strong
and patient person. The clone calls another guy, COLE, who is
shocked and surprised to hear from "Lois." Immediately
the shifty stoolie is on the defense, wondering how Lois "found
out" so quick. The clone isn't sure what he is talking
about and plays along, until Cole admits that yes, okay, it
was he that took the stuff from her apartment, but he was forced
into it by Intergang. The clone expresses shock and dismay,
still playing along: "You took my stuff? Where did you
take it?" Cole says that he dropped it at the back door
of an old seedy bar on 23rd and Olivia Street, by the train
tracks. The clone rushes out of the apartment against Martha's
and Jonathan's wishes, shouting to them, "Call Clark right
away! Tell him to meet me at 23rd and Olivia!" The Kents'
eyes widen.
4.
BUNKER - Lex and Lois are together, and Lex explains his plan
to kill Superman. He tells Lois that there is a substance that
Superman is particularly "allergic" to--a green rock
called Kryptonite. They don't have very much of it, just small
pieces that have been ground into a dust. Superman will be lured
to the seedy bar, and when Superman approaches Wanda, a "Bouncing
Betty" will shoot up from the floor and explode in his
face, sending the Kryptonite dust into his eyes, blinding him
for a matter of seconds. At this point, Superman will be weakened,
and Lois will shoot Superman dead. Lex asks her to practice
it with a paint gun, and brings out a standup target of Superman
to shoot at. They begin practice. The Betty shoots up, exploding
dust all around. Lois gets dust right in her eyes, aims poorly,
and the gun shoots off a few automatic paint bullets, out of
Lois' control. A shriek is heard in the background, and when
the dust clears, Mindy Church walks over,
brightly-colored paint all over the front of her outfit. Lois
has "shot" her by mistake. A furious Mindy spews,
"Is this supposed to give me confidence?" Lex says
not to worry, he always comes through. Mindy and Max walk away.
Mindy
and Max speak in private. She tells him to clean the paint off
of her chest, and Max uncomfortably looks around for something
to clean with. Max says Luthor is a pompous ass and should just
be eliminated. Intergang is the most powerful organization in
Metropolis and Luthor is just another failed multibillionaire.
Mindy tells him not to worry, as soon as she sees Superman's
corpse, Lex and Lois will be removed from the playing field.
Permanently.
Lex
and Lois speak in private. Lois says that she will need some
more practice shooting her gun. Lex says not to worry--he knows
that she will come through for them. Lois then says that she
hates Mindy and these people that they have been hanging around.
When can they be rid of them? Lex tells Lois not to worry--after
Superman is dead, they will be rid of Mindy forever.
5.
STREET - The clone waits impatiently for Clark, checking her
watch. The clone then takes her own initiative, wanting to plainly
impress Clark, and goes to the back of the bar by herself: "I'll
find her without him." The clone stumbles upon the secret
door and enters the twisting corridor.
6.
BUNKER - In the shadows, the clone secretly sees Lex and Lois
together. The clone turns to leave, having got her information,
and Max, mistaking the clone for Lois, asks her what she is
doing. Flustered and speechless, the clone grabs a board and
knocks him out. The clone goes back into the corridor. Max,
coming to, goes to Lex and Lois and grabs Lois, asking her why
she hit him, yet he is confused as this Lois is wearing different
clothes. Lois says that Max is crazy, and Lex strongarms Max,
telling him to back off. Lex, ever the smart and curious one,
thinks something is amiss, and tells Lois that he'll be right
back. The clone wanders around the twisting corridor, lost.
Suddenly Lex pulls her to him, filled with intensity. There
is a confrontation between "father" and "daughter."
Lex tells her she is stupid for coming there, that she was created
only to do his bidding and that she'll never be Lois, or for
that matter even a real person. Besides, clones have very short
life spans, and he'd kill her right now if she wasn't going
to die soon anyway. Lex lets her go, pushing her out the door.
The clone is emotional, beside herself.
7.
STREETS - Superman lands on the street by the bar and goes to
the clone, saying that he would have been there sooner but his
mom had trouble getting a hold of him. The clone is very sad,
and says that she can't talk to him while he's in that silly
uniform--she wants to talk to Clark. He changes back to Clark,
and asks her what she found out about Lois' where-abouts. She
tries to change the subject--can they go somewhere and talk?
She really needs him right now. Clark says that they can talk
some other time--what about Lois? He needs to know about Lois.
"Nothing...It was a false lead." The clone keeps her
information a secret.
ACT
THREE
1.
BUNKER - Lex and Lois are having a candlelight dinner. Lex is
beside himself in love with her. He speaks of how he had wished
for this moment to come, the moment when they would be reunited
and be able to rid themselves of all their enemies. Lois asks
him why they went to a criminal organization for help. Intergang
is a cheap operation, he says. He wishes that they didn't have
to work with a "gang," but it is also not beyond them
to take over Intergang, change the name to something respectable,
and the world will be their oyster. They can use the resources
behind Intergang to obtain whatever they desire. Lois is finding
him sexy, extremely alluring. Romance blooms, and they lean
in to kiss. Suddenly the train from above roars past, shaking
the table, causing Lex's glass of wine to spill onto his shirt.
He curses Intergang again, and Lois tries to clean him up. She
reaches for his left arm, pulling the sleeve up to clean his
arm. Lex flinches, realizing...Lois says that there is no scar
on his arm. Didn't Lex say that a bullet went clean through
his arm when Clark shot him? Lex covers, talking about the wonders
of cosmetic surgery, but Lois is a little skeptical.
2.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - The clone sits still and speechless, and
Martha tries to find out what is wrong. The clone says that
"Life isn't fair," and although she doesn't tell Martha
that she is going to die, she asks Martha a question: "If
you had only a short period of time to spend with someone you
loved, what would you do?" Martha wonders why she asks.
"If Clark finds Lois," the clone says, covering, "where
does that leave me? I'll be all alone." Martha tells her
to just take it one day at a time, but for now, treasure each
moment.
Clark
talks to Jonathan. Clark says that he thinks the clone is hiding
something from him regarding Lois, but he's not sure what it
could be. They are interrupted by a knock on the door. It is
ELLEN LANE, coming by to see her daughter and son-in-law. How
are things with the newlyweds? Then she hears "Lois"
crying. Martha jumps to form, quickly saying out loud "Look,
Lois, it's your mother!" The clone immediately goes to
Ellen and cries to her, and Ellen doesn't know how to react.
The clone says that she thinks she loves Clark. Ellen dryly
says that good--that's the best way to begin a marriage.
3.
DAILY PLANET - Perry is in his office with Alex. She is very
businesslike, while he tries to talk about their date. Perry
asks her why she didn't return his messages. Alex says that
he should know that business is business--never put your work
to bed until everything is accomplished. In effect, Alex tells
Perry what he used to tell Alice. This is not lost on Perry.
4.
BUNKER - Lois shoots at another Superman target with real bullets,
a few other torn apart targets littering the floor. Lex tells
her to go for the head and heart. Lois is a good shot. Mindy
enters to check on their progress. She tells Lex that she has
become impatient--does Lois have the goods to perform? Lex tells
Lois to shoot Mindy, and Lois spins right around and points
her gun at her, ready to fire. A surprised and shocked Mindy
tells Lex to have "Wanda" back off--but by mistake
uses Lex's real name. Lex covers in front of Lois again, but
Lois begins to wonder...
5.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - The clone and Ellen are talking. The clone
is needy and wanting, and Ellen tries to accomodate to the best
of her ability. The clone asks Ellen if she has any regrets
in life. Ellen tells the clone that she has a lot of regrets.
She regrets not being a better wife and mother. She regrets
not taking the time to listen to the needs of others and only
concentrating on herself. In effect, she lead a selfish life
for a number of years and forgot the meaning of sacrifice. The
clone ponders this, and Clark walks in. Ellen says that she
will leave them alone and leaves the room. The clone goes to
Clark, hugs him. Clark hugs back, perhaps displacing some of
his feelings from the real Lois onto her, but hugging her all
the same. A tender moment ensues. The clone looks like she is
going to tell Clark about Lois when they are interrupted by
the phone ringing. The loud sound of a train is heard in the
background. It's Lois--"Clark...tell Superman that I don't
want him to be bothering me...ever again." (??) The line
goes dead.
6.
BUNKER - Lex puts his finger on the receiver, tells her what
a great job she did, and speaks of how the annoying train came
through for them in the end. Lois and Lex kiss, and Lex says
that Clark should be smart enough to lead Superman to the bunker
from hearing the sound of the train. He knows Superman will
come. Lex to Lois: "Are you ready to kill Superman?"
Lois triggers the Bouncing Betty, it pops up, explodes, and
Lois is a dead-on shot. The target is obliterated.
ACT
FOUR
1.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark has left to go to the Planet. Lois
is in the kitchen with Ellen, helping Martha cook dinner. Ellen
is happy to see that her daughter's mood has lightened somewhat,
and is happy to have had a positive effect on her life. Ellen
feels like this is the start of a new relationship for them,
and suddenly reaches out and hugs the clone. The clone falls
back, her hand landing on the burning stove. The clone shrieks
in pain, and Ellen goes to her to help her. The burn on Lois'
hand disappears right in front of Ellen's eyes. Ellen is shocked,
unable to get a hold of her senses. Martha knows that the clone's
cover is blown, and as delicately as possible tells Ellen that
the real Lois has been kidnapped by Lex Luthor, and that Luthor
created a clone of Lois to cover his tracks. Ellen is dumbfounded.
"Welcome to the family," Jonathan says.
2.
DAILY PLANET - Clark looks through blueprints of Metropolis
at superspeed to find any underground structures that are next
to train tracks. Jimmy comes in and tells Clark that Dr. Klein
found out that the clones were engineered from the start to
"burn out," or die, within a matter of days. Clark,
thinking of the clone, tells Jimmy to keep looking through the
blueprints. Clark is going home, and tells Jimmy to call him
as soon as possible with an address.
In
his office, Perry and Alex are relaxing, a mess of paperwork
around them, as though they have been working all day. Perry
tells Alex that he's sorry for acting so strange about their
date. Perry has been out of circulation for a long time, and
has been a bit out of sorts since his separation from Alice.
He doesn't quite know the proper dating etiquette. Alex says
that she understands--she got divorced a few years ago. Perry
is relieved to have a kindred spirit. Alex gives him a kiss
on the cheek and tells him that she will call him tomorrow for
lunch.
3.
CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark enters, and he and the clone speak
at the same time, saying "I have something to tell you."
Clark tells her that he found out clones have short life spans.
The clone says that she knows. "Was that the secret you've
been hiding from me?" Clark asks. The phone rings. Jimmy
gives Clark an address, at the corner of 23rd and Olivia. Clark
is about to tell everyone where Lois could be, but the clone
interrupts. She says that the secret that she had been hiding
was that she knew where Lois was being held. Clark gets angry
at the clone, and leaves to get Lois. Ellen tells the clone
everything will be okay, but the clone says she has been selfish
and needs to be alone.
4.
SEEDY BAR - From the teaser. From a secluded section of the
bar, Lex, Mindy and Max see Superman arrive.
The
bar is quiet, empty except for a bartender. Superman enters
and sees Lois sitting at the far end of the bar, her back turned
to him. Superman cautiously walks towards her, calling her name.
She turns around just as the Bouncing Betty shoots up and explodes
green Kryptonite dust into Superman's eyes. He winces in pain.
Lois pulls a gun on him, aims it at him. Everything is cloudy,
murky. She points the laser sighting on Superman's head, about
to pull the trigger...she hesitates, staring at Superman with
wondering eyes...and then another laser sighting appears on
Lois' head. Lois fires. A GUNMAN from the other side of the
bar has his gun trained on Lois. The sound of bullets firing
echoes through the bar...it's unclear what is happening. The
gunman has his sights on Lois, finger on the trigger. Mindy
shouts "Superman is dead! Kill her!" and the gunman
pulls the trigger. Right then Lois' clone jumps out from behind
them and dives in front of Lois, taking the bullet. The clone
goes down. Lex and Mindy come out, still not knowing what happened,
and Lex calls out to Lois. Mindy says that Lois is dead, and
that he is next. She tells Max to kill Lex. Max turns to Mindy
and puts the gun on her instead, saying that Lex made him a
better offer. Mindy's first gunman, confused seeing Lois still
alive, holds his sight on Lois again. There is a standoff a
la Reservoir Dogs. When the smoke clears, we see Superman on
the floor, very much alive but writhing on the floor. Lois intentionally
missed him. Bullet holes line the wall behind Superman. Lois
has dropped her gun, and stares straight ahead. Superman's vision
returns, and he swoops up all of the guns and the villains in
one Superspeedy motion. Lex cannot believe his eyes--foiled
again.
Superman
has a tender moment with the clone. Superman asks her why she
did it. She says that he took a bullet for her, and she wanted
to make a similar sacrifice for him. "But, I'm Superman.
It's different. Bullets don't affect me," he says. The
clone says that that's not the point--it's the fact that he
did it that made her love him. The clone says goodbye, hopes
that he will be happy, and then she dies. Superman holds her
in his arms.
Lex
says to Lois that he's sorry--he loves her and only wanted them
to be together. Lois looks at Lex, at Superman, at the dead
clone--and is very, very confused.
5.
HOSPITAL - Clark admits Lois to the hospital, telling her that
she will get the care that she needs. He leans in to kiss her
but she pulls away. Clark: "Goodbye, Lois." Lois:
"Goodbye..," not knowing his name. "Clark,"
he says. "Clark. Nice name," she says.
END
OF SHOW
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