Episode 02 - Fly Like an Eagle

"**Fly Like An Eagle**" is the second episode of Season 1 of the BBC Scotland television drama, *Takin' Over The Asylum*. It aired on the 4th of October, 1994. Its title is derived from the song of the same name, performed by Steve Miller Band.

## Synopsis

*"The hospital radio station is in full swing, Eddie is in danger of losing his job, and soon to be discharged hypomanic Campbell plans to become a DJ."*

## Plot

***Trigger Warning: This episode includes a scene where a character threatens to jump out of a window. That same character, who is a psychiatric patient, is physically restrained and sedated.***

An American man is giving a seminar to the employees of Twinview Windows, more of an inspirational rally rather than an informative one, that has lasted for six hours. Most of the employees are taking his words to heart, shouting about how they're going to sell their double-glazing windows, even in the scenario where they might get arrested. Eddie is disinterested, and attempts to sneak out without being noticed. Griffin catches him, and asks in front of the crowd where he is going. He lies and says he's going to meet a buyer, and the other employees cheer him on as he leaves.

Eddie makes a quick pitstop at his flat, and as he's racing out the door, his grandmother tells him she made a sandwich for him. He takes it and leaves, as she supposedly curses at him in Lithuanian.

At the hospital, Campbell attempts to speak through the radio microphone. Eddie points out to him that the fader is at the lowest level. He settles on letting Campbell have another try, but is distracted momentarily when he spots Francine watching him from a distance. As Campbell plays the radio jingle once more, the channel seems to struggle, but Fergus enters and pulls a slider down. Campbell turns to him in annoyance, and is surprised when he discovers Fergus is wearing a doctor's outfit. Fergus admits he stole it from a "Doctor Brady," and Rosalie pops up from behind a desk to compliment him. Fergus questions whether or not Campbell can be trusted with the desk, to which Campbell replies that he will be performing his own show the next night regardless. Eddie seems to disagree, believing him to not be ready yet.

A woman enters the station, and introduces herself to Eddie as Evelyn MacDonald, the assistant administrator for the hospital. She says that she stopped by to see if they needed anything, and Fergus is happy to give her a detailed list of the electrical equipment and parts they require. Evelyn seems impressed that he has an understanding of engineering knowledge, which is where Fergus reveals that he is a patient. Campbell adds that himself and Rosalie are also patients. Evelyn makes an awkward remark about the patients involvement, and says that she'll need to see some figures before she can bring their requests to the hospital board. Campbell cuts her off to continue the radio show, making a dig at the hospital board themselves in the process. Evelyn, taken aback, promises to return in a few days and leaves. Eddie expresses his irritation of Campbell's actions, but Campbell defends himself, saying that her impression of his action doesn’t matter, since she knows he's a "loony". After Campbell asks once more, Eddie gives in and lets him perform his own show the next night.

Campbell celebrates loudly, but is silenced when he sees his own father enter the room. The two move to the dayroom to speak, where Campbell's father informs him that he might be discharged the following week. Campbell is ecstatic at this news. His father questions if he has any plans, but the few he lists primarily consist of reckless activities, such as getting drunk and losing his virginity. His father critics this, saying that he should instead be thinking about his future, and wonders if he had planned to return to high school to finish his exams. Campbell expresses his indifference to the thought, and that he still isn't sure what he wants to do for a job. His father tells him to pull himself together, and informs him that his mother is suffering mentally, due to Campbell's disorder and absence. He tells Campbell to quit messing around, and think about his future. He leaves Campbell in the dayroom to deal with the weight of their conversation.

Eddie tells Rosalie that she needs to leave so he can lock up the station, but she refuses, saying that she won't stop cleaning until everything is tidy and germ-free. She curiously asks what the box of papers Eddie is fiddling with might be, and Eddie replies that it's the figures Evelyn asked for. She then dumps some scattered papers into the newly sorted box, making the desk space tidy again.

As he moves toward the exit, Eddie finds Francine standing near an open window. He goes to close it, but Francine stops him, claiming that she was suffocating in the room before it was open. Eddie gives her his jacket, and mentions when he caught her eye earlier that day. When he asks if she is okay, Francine notes that how can she be, when she's locked in the hospital. She tells him that she is sanctioned, and has to stay in the hospital for as long as deemed necessary. When the topic of how Eddie came to be a DJ rises, he tells her about his first job, and his most recent which he was fired from. Francine mentions briefly that she used to be a secretary, but after a moment, she turns back to the window.

Eddie returns to his flat, having to push past his grandmother as she bars the door. She tells him that people from a television license company visited her three times that day to inquire about their late payment. Eddie says that he simply didn't have the money, and his grandmother brings up again when he’ll get married so she can throw him out. Eddie reminds her that this is *his* flat, and that he will eventually pay all of the late bills.

At a cafe the next day, an old woman speaks to Eddie. She starts a conversation with him about his job, and afterwards asks if she can lend him some change. He gives it to her, albeit begrudgingly. The woman introduces herself as Harriet, and follows him with her dog as he walks to work. She continues to talk with him even as they enter Twinview Windows. Jane is bemused by Harriet and her dog, named Daisy, and warns Eddie to be wary of Griffin as he has not had a good morning. When Daisy starts barking, Griffin calls Eddie into his office, and Harriet says that she will see him again.

Griffin inquires about the buyers Eddie had lied about meeting to get out of the seminar. Furthering this lie, Eddie says that he almost closed the deal. Griffin gives him an ultimatum. If he doesn’t close a single deal by Saturday morning, he will be fired. Eddie spends the rest of the day knocking on doors, attempting to sell people windows. Most of the customers are busy or uninterested, and shut their doors in his face.

Campbell and Fergus set up balloons and decorations in the hospital, loudly announcing to the patients about his upcoming show later that night. They become antsy when Eddie fails to show up, and start the show without him. Eddie finally runs in to find Campbell smoothly running his first show, pleased to find it isn’t a complete disaster. Patients dance, and Eddie looks on approvingly. He spots Francine in the crowd, and as she catches his eye, she turns to leave. However she stops, looks back at him, and the two smile at each other.

After the show, Campbell tells Eddie that he wants to become a professional DJ. Eddie agrees that he potentially could, which leads Campbell to start making thrilling plans. He doesn't seem to grasp the major flaw in his plan, which is that he lacks experience. He tells Eddie that he is being discharged the following week, and wants Eddie to teach him everything he can. Campbell proposes that they market off the fact that they are the only radio station in Scotland that is in a psychiatric hospital. He believes that they'll gain a lot of publicity, and asks if Eddie is interested in being a duo. Eddie accepts the offer.

Eddie looks for Francine in her room again, only to have her appear behind him. She offers him her cocoa, since she hates it, but takes it from the staff to be cooperative. They talk, and Eddie explains how his grandmother lives with him after his grandfather passed away. He also mentions that she wants him to get married, since it is apparently a cultural stigma in Lithuania to be married after you are thirty. Francine asks if he has ever had a girlfriend. Eddie says that he used to date a girl named Angela, and still can’t say, 'Angel Delight,' without accidentally saying her name. Francine notes that he did just then, and Eddie laughs about the fact that he must be getting over her. Francine points out his car, and Eddie offers to drive her sometime if she would like. He then asks her how she ended up in the hospital, but she ignores his question, and notices a cat below. She refers to it as McTavish, and notes that he's rather fat. Eddie points out that McTavish isn't fat, and is actually a pregnant female. Francine suddenly appears very distressed, and insists that McTavish isn't pregnant, and is just fat. She runs away, leaving Eddie confused.

Eddie exits a liquor store, and is approached by Harriet. She walks with him once more, offering him back the money he had lent her earlier. She interrogates him about the nature of his job position, and what double-glazing actually is. Desperately trying to evade her, Eddie gives Harriet a brochure and heads to his work. On the front desk, Eddie notices a dismissal slip from Griffin. Eddie panics, since he still has two more days. Jane said that Griffin gave it to her "just in case".

At the hospital, Isabel opens the door to the ward to let Fergus in, who is soaking wet. She confiscates wire cutters from him. He enters the radio station and gives Campbell a pair of headphones, having left the hospital to retrieve them. When Fergus asks how he got enough money to pay for them, Campbell says he sold his cigarettes and quit smoking to take care of his voice, since he'll need it if he is to become a DJ. As they run to the station, they are stopped by Campbell's father. Fergus leaves the two of them after he gives Campbell's father a "loony" look.

Campbell's father asks if he has thought about the discussion they had earlier. Campbell says that he's decided he is going to be a DJ, to which his father invalidates. He lists that Campbell had previously aspired to be a pop star, a racing jockey, and an actor. Campbell says that he can't sing, he's afraid of horses, and he can't remember his lines. He assures his father that this time is different, but he doesn’t seem to buy it. His father says that he had spoken to his mother, and they both decided that Campbell should go to stay with his aunt in Perth. Campbell rejects this idea, saying that he needs to stay in Glasgow to become a DJ. His father says that if Campbell continues refusing to pull his act together, he might have to request for Campbell to be sanctioned. Campbell is shattered at this, and questions whether his father ever had any dreams. His father replies that he wanted to be the goalkeeper for the Glasgow Rangers, and leaves.

Evelyn finds runs into Eddie, and asks for the figures. Eddie, having lost some of them, searches around the station. Fergus watches him as he fixes the desk. Evelyn finds a stack of notebooks, regarding an incredibly organised set of figures. Delighted, Evelyn takes them and says that she will show them to the board. She looks over to Fergus, and asks Eddie if they can have a word outside. Evelyn states that she doesn't think the patients helping out with the studio is a good idea, and that they should have professionals to help. Eddie contradicts this, telling her that the patients enjoy helping.

Evelyn leaves. Eddie spies Francine eavesdropping, but as he goes to follow her after she runs, an upset Campbell passes in the other direction. He follows Campbell instead, who is smoking, seemingly troubled by the conversation with his father. Fergus mentions that Campbell said he would give up smoking, and Campbell sarcastically replies that he also thought he was going to be a DJ. Eddie and Fergus share a look.

Having reached the end of his deadline and not closed a deal, Eddie is ready to accept his fate and prepares to be fired. Harriet finds him once again, and mentions that she had been reading the brochure he gave her. She asks if he could visit her home and see how much the price might be to get her windows double-glazed. When they arrive at a large house, Harriet states that its hers, and that she has thirty-five windows. Eddie smiles, having found his job-saving deal.

Back at the hospital, Campbell begins his radio show. He announces that this show will be his last, as he's being discharged. He mentions that he'll be moving to Perth, but not in a positive light. Campbell then proceeds to have an intentional manic episode and locks himself inside the radio station, threatening to jump out of the window. Eddie tries to get in but can only watch on as Campbell becomes more frantic. Isabel and other doctors push past, but only manage to get inside once Stuart breaks the door's window with a fire extinguisher. Campbell is restrained and carried off, but continues to speak at an accelerated pace. He is given a sedative and passes out. Francine steps into the station and puts on another record, taking the microphone and apologising calmy as she introduces the next song. She and Eddie look to each other without a word.

Eddie enters the hospital early the next day, hoping to see Campbell. Isabel briefs him that Campbell is lucid, and asks if Eddie has plans to give up on the station. She attempts to dissuade him. She mentions that one of her patients was very passive. However, after one of Eddie's shows, the patient became assertive and didn't listen to her. She encourages him to keep the show going.

Entering the male dormitory, Eddie finds Campbell laying in bed, rather dazed. Campbell tells him that they plan to keep him in the hospital for another six to ten weeks, and that he's excited to see what they can do with the station in that time. Eddie says he's fine with that, so long as Campbell is up for it. Campbell grins, and asks if his acting was really that great. It finally occurs to Eddie that Campbell intentionally had that episode so that he was able to stay for longer. Though he disapproves, Eddie grins.

As Eddie walks into the station, Rosalie is cleaning some shelves. When he asks, Rosalie confirms that she organised the figures Evelyn had wanted. He then proposes that Rosalie become his station manager, and she accepts.

## Cast

### Main

* Ken Stott as Eddie McKenna
* Katy Murphy as Francine Boyle
* David Tennant as Campbell Bain
* Angus Macfadyen as Fergus MacKinnon
* Ruth McCabe as Rosalie Garrity

### Recurring

* Elizabeth Spriggs as Eddie's Grandma
* Roy Hanlon as Mr. Griffin
* Angela Bruce as Isabel
* Kenneth Bryans as Stuart
* Sandra Voe as Evelyn MacDonald
* Matt Costello as Alastair
* Derek Anders as Billy
* Gavin Mitchell as Hector
* Molly Innes as Margaret
* Nell Brennan as Sheila
* Caroline Paterson as Jane
* Neil McKinven as MacAteer
* Ronnie McCann as Lavery
* Paul Blair as Webster

### Minor

* Liz Smith as Harriet
* James Grant as Campbell's Dad
* Lou Hirsch as American Consultant
* Gayanne Potter as Catriona
* Patricia Ross as Woman with Baby
* Sedhar Chozam as Foreign Woman
* James MacDonald as Retired Man

## Quotes

> Lavery. The buyer calls the cops. He’s having you arrested. They’ve got you in the car! What’re you gonna do?
> Sell!
>
> - American Consultant and Lavery

> And this is Campbell Bain, the bane of your life!
>
> - Campbell

> Eddie, I'm a mentally ill person. If I shout any louder I'll be restrained and sedated!
>
> - Campbell

> Eat your heart out, Ken Bruce, you bastard!
>
> - Campbell

> I'm not gonna rest until everything in the world is neat and tidy and every germ on Earth is dead.
> Well, it's nice to have a mission.
>
> - Rosalie and Eddie

> Eddie, what do I do with you? When do you get married so I can throw you out?
> This is my flat!
> Well, when do you get married so you can throw me out?
>
> - Eddie’s Grandma and Eddie

> "Almost". "Nearly there". You don't buy a washing machine with an "almost", McKenna. You don't buy a Jacuzzi with a "nearly there".
>
> - Mr. Griffin

> Our next request is for Senga in Ward 6, who tells me that she's being controlled by aliens from another planet. Senga, the nursing assistants are only doing their job.
>
> - Campbell

> Build up my own record collection, specialise in something. Get some routines together. What else do I need?
> Experience, Campbell?
>
> - Campbell and Eddie

> That's one thing I'm sure of, is you've got to get them to come to you. What's it called...
> Abduction, Campbell, and it’s illegal.
> No, no — market strategy!
>
> - Campbell and Eddie

> With your knowledge and experience and my hypomania, how can we lose?
>
> - Campbell

> Are you sure you’re not manic?
> I’m inspired, Eddie.
> What’s the difference?
> Inspired is when you think you can do anything. Manic is when you know it.
>
> - Eddie and Campbell

> Fergus! What're you doing?
> Dripping…
>
> - Isabel and Fergus

> May God strike me dead if I so much as engage in passive smoking.
> But everybody smokes in here.
> Then I’ll stop breathing in.
>
> - Campbell and Fergus

> Well, six months ago you wanted to be a pop star.
> That was different. I can’t sing.
> Two years before, you wanted to be a racing jockey.
> I’m afraid of horses.
> Before that, you wanted to be an actor.
> I can’t remember lines.
>
> - Campbell’s Dad and Campbell

> Was there never anything you wanted to do, you wanted to be, more than anything in the world?
> Goalkeeper for the Glasgow Rangers. Lot of fucking good it did me.
>
> - Campbell and Campbell’s Dad

> If there's a strange voice in your head, get it to sing along!
>
> - Campbell

> I beat them, Eddie. I beat the bastards.
>
> - Campbell