The Lacquered Box

Trivia Contributor
Rene the florist that Clarence harasses (Gigi DeLeon) was also Bon Bon Hai's daughter Teeya in "Enter the Tiger".
 Monica Sztybel
This is the first appearance of Clarence.
 Monica Sztybel
Rob Moses plays the thug with the blond wig who attacks Peter in the warehouse.

I suspect that warehouse was also used as Latrodect's lair in "BlackWidow".
 Monica Sztybel
In Peter's drug recovery scene...when they show the closeup on Peter's face, he's laying on a yellow pillowcase or sheet of some sort on the pillow. When they show both Caine and Peter (aka a "two-shot"), the sheets are purplish (at least on my TV).
 Monica Sztybel
On the Scene where Peter is hit in the Brownstone wearehouse -Before they drug him- as he is falling, he dropped his gun to his right and off his hand but when the next scene comes when Clarence and the others are approaching him to drug him, he has the gun in his other hand. You can see one of the policemen kicqued away from him. Luisandra Reynoso
Script differences  
I have two drafts of the script. The first draft, and a later revision (scripts are revised several times, especially during filming). The first draft of the script does not have the scenes involving Peter's shooting. That was added later when the filming of the episode ran overtime.

This was supposed to air after "Initiation", but Chris Potter told fans that it took too long to film. So it was probably shelved for a while before they were able to get to it.
 Monica Sztybel
The first draft starts with the scene between the Ancient and the little girl, as he gives her the cricket to give to Caine. And ends with her giving Caine another cricket in the newly restored studio.
 Monica Sztybel
In the script, within the description of the interior of the brownstone is this vivid sentence: "For this Phoenix to get new wings the ashes must be cleared." This is in reference to Caine's work to restore the building.
 Monica Sztybel
The first script initially called for Peter to drive a Porsche. The later script was changed to Corvette.
 Monica Sztybel
In the first script Caine's flashback of Peter asking him about meditation is not there, instead they have a scene where Peter approaches Clarence and his gang after he pulls up to the building. They are laughing.

Peter: "You seem awfully excited. This must be the day the old ladies get their pension checks."
Clarence: "Don't get all puffed up about what you did to Tan. he was way past ripe. I ain't."
Frankie: "It's a holiday, cop, or didn't you know?"
Peter: "I hadn't heard. When's the celebration start?"
Clarence: "Any minute."
Frankie: "Stick around."
Clarence: "Yeah, check it out. Someone you know will be droppin' by."

They all laugh and Peter eyes them suspiciously and walks away.
 Monica Sztybel
When the bomb doesn't go off, Clarence blames Frankie and beats him up.
 Monica Sztybel
Instead of the flourist, it's the Shot Glass bar at night. Peter is outside watching Clarence make a move on a girl at a pool table. She resists and Peter moves in and says the same speech about leaving his father alone. While Peter is inside, Caine arrives and stands where Peter was standing before, watching the interaction.
 Monica Sztybel
Instead of Peter's speech about "I'm not doing this because I'm your son..." the first script says: "One of the last things I am is your son. See, for you to callme son, requires that you have acted like a father. That you haven't done."
Caine: "Yet you put yourself at risk to protect me."
Peter: "That's not being your son -- that's my job. What I am is a cop..."

And it goes on from there. The later script has it as it was in the episode.
 Monica Sztybel
Meanwhile the first script has Clarence explaining to Frankie why he wants to go after Peter and not Caine (also omitted from later script and the episode): "The cop made this personal, so I'm going to keep it personal. The priest we can have anytime, first we are going to see if the cop can dance."
 Monica Sztybel
In the later script I have, there's an added scene in the hospital the scene starts with the following description:

"Caine is standing, a hand on Peter's face, studying him. He lifts Peter's eyelid, checks the pupil, thinks a moment, then shakes his head."

The dialog follows:
Caine: "I have done all I can. The doctors do not hold much hope."
Ancient: (soft) "His body will heal itself or will not. It is our of your hands now." (a beat, then:) "What do you feel?"
Caine: "He is my son. His wounds are my wounds...when he saved my life by difusing the bomb, he was preparing to die for me." (beat, emotion building) Yet he had hardly lived."
Ancient: "Then it is guilt you feel. But your guilt will not help him now any more than it did before. At that time, your need to protect Peter was greater than his need for protection."
Caine: "Perhaps. But the need drew us closer."
Ancient: "Yes, and almost got Peter killed...."

Then it flashes back to the Clarence situation again.
 Monica Sztybel
The original script spends more time describing the scene where dirty cops, Tollis and Lyle, chase Clarence into the alley. Then Clarence comments on the flashy car and the fact that others are getting suspicous of the cops. They don't seem to care. The scene continues from there.
 Monica Sztybel
At the precinct the script when Paul tries to explain why Peter is more comfortable talking to him than Caine, the script has a nice description of his reaction to Paul's "he's your father, Peter..." At that point the script says, "Peter shoots him a look which says 'for a lot of years so were you'."
 Monica Sztybel
When Tollis and Lyle show up at the brownstone while Peter is helping Caine, the script described Peter's reaction to them as: "Seeing these men has made him tense, wary. Caine can feel it."

Then later on in the conversation: "INTERCUT Caine at the window (peering out the brownstone). He is the observer -- the 'watcher'. Everything will be played from his POV. He watches his son. How he reacts to these men." This was not done in the final version.

Then another part in Caine's POV that was changed: "Caine sees his son's hesitancy. Peter doesn't trust these men, yet it's a legitimate request."
 Monica Sztybel
In the original script, after Peter's drugged and Clarence makes his speech, he tries to get up. The description is:

"Peter struggles to his feet. His equilibrium's gone. He staggers across the filthy floor and bangs into crates and piles of trash."

The dialog:
Tollis: "He's all messed up."
Clarence: "Enjoy the rush, chump -- it ain't going to last much longer."

Then the script says, "Clarence and the cops laugh as Peter crashes to the floor."
 Monica Sztybel
In the original script, Caine doesn't offer the strung out woman and her baby help. He just says, "I must go."
 Monica Sztybel
In the script the people don't manhandle Peter until after the
following...

As Caine approaches Peter the script describes the scene (not used in the episode): "Peter's unconscious. His breathing is labored, heavy. He's dying. Then his breathing stops." That's when someone shouts that he's dead. Then the description continues: "Peter breathes again, in quick shallow gulps. Caine reaches into his satchel and finds a small pouch of herbs. The crazies move closer. Caine inserts some herbs under Peter's tongue...." That's when the people move in on Peter and Caine wrestles them away. The fight is much tougher in the script, and Caine, who doesn't want to hurt these people, quickly picks Peter up before they can regain their composure and attack again.
 Monica Sztybel
Back at the hospital in the later script, another unused scene:

DESCRIPTION: "Caine sits at Peter's bedside. Still no change in Peter."
Ancient: "That day, you acted in opposition to your teachings. Is not inaction the way of the Shaolin? A wise man does nothing, yet knows everything will be done."
Caine: "But had I not acted, my son would have died."
Ancient: And now that you have done all you can do, he still might die."
Caine: "No!"
Ancient: "All things unfoled according to the Tao. It is a river that flows everywhere. you and I are only as raindrops in that river - and a raindrop can no more control the flow of the river, than you and I can control how the world unfolds."
DESCRIPTION: "Camera tightens onto Caine's pained expression and we dissolve to:" The past again.
 Monica Sztybel
Neither script shows the precinct scene coming after Caine's removal of Peter from the warhouse. Instead they go right to Peter's recovery. The description of Peter's mental state: "Caine's removed Peter's clothing and wrapped him in a sheet. Caine sits beside his son with a cup of herb tea. AS he lifts Peter's head, Peter's eyes open. he gazes into Caine's eyes. Peter's caught in the drug haze of cluttered memories -- part of him still in the corridor fighting for his life. He tries to push the cup away, but the tightly wrapped sheet does not allow his arms to move. He turns his head away."

Peter drinks, then: "Caine gently puts his hand on Peter's face and turns it toward him. Peter's mind floats between times -- what is and what was. There in the half light of a burned-out second floor room he sees the father that was. He's delirious.

After his talk with Caine, then: "The residue of the drugs is poweful. Peter's words are slurred -- he fights to maintain consciousness and to hold a coherent thought. It's important to him that Caine hear and understand." Then he goes into "quit dogging me".

During Peter's "last of the line" speech he says, "...more important you said...more important (the word is lost as he phases in and out)". Then it goes on about "I'm not who you think I am..."

After Peter "slips back into his half drug haze" Caine has a flashback that was never used. Young Peter asks Caine when does a man know his destiny. Caine teaches Peter that when a raindrop lands on the water it's journey is not over, and that the journey is the destiny. "It is part of the process." Peter asks Caine if he is the raindrop, and Caine says yes. When Caine comes out of the flashback he "watches his son sleep." (that last part was used in the episode).
 Monica Sztybel
Then, they have the precinct scene between Paul, Tollis and Lyle.
 Monica Sztybel
The original script has a scene that follows where the two cops talk to Clarence in their car, reassuring themselves that they need more time for the body to be found. When they do discover Peter's body gone, Clarence is with them. They are walking the streets of Chinatown when they argue over Peter's disappearance and hatch the plan to go after Caine.
 Monica Sztybel
Back in the brownstone: "Peter is on the pallet -- still groggy. He floats in and out as the dope continues to do battle with his system..."

It then goes into the arrival of Alice, who's appearances in the script are similar to the episode. In the original script they show Caine finding her and she tells him that she came to warn him.
 Monica Sztybel
In the original script, Peter searches for his gun while Caine is
seeking out Alice. When they return to the room, and Peter hears that men are coming he "rises up, but his weakened body cannot respond. He pushes off the covers, then slumps back on the pallet and fights to maintain consciousness."
Peter: "What you have to do is... (the words come through in a fog)...you got to..."

The original script has Peter peeking out the window after Caine leaves to fight the men.
 Monica Sztybel
Back to the hospital in the later script: "Caine watches Peter. He is still unconscious. Caine reaches out, lays his hands gently on Peter's shoulders. Camera tightens onto Caine's agonized face and we dissolve to...the top of act four, Caine and Peter in virtually identical positions." I have no idea what that means.
 Monica Sztybel
The script goes into the description of the intruders. The original script says there were 5. The later one says 6. The original has a whole dialog between Tollis, Lyle and Clarence before they go in. Basically, despite Clarence's insistance that Caine is very skilled, the cops think that "all that Bruce Lee junk don't mean nothing against a nine millimeter."
 Monica Sztybel
Peter continues to search for his gun in the orignal script. In the later script it's a new task for him, and the first time he's out of bed.
 Monica Sztybel
When Peter scrunches Alice into the cubbyhole, he stands and "hears them coming. He jackes his shell into the chamber of his automatic, shakes his head to clear his mind and get's ready. Keeping very low, he moves toward the door -- he wants to get to them before they get to him."

In the original script the scene ends with Peter shooting Tollis and Alice rushing into Caine's arms. There's no moment between Caine and Peter after he fires, though Caine does shout a protest before Peter shoots, as in the episode. But there's nothing with Lyle grabbing Alice as it is in the later script and in the episode.

In the later script it jumps from Peter's gunshot to the two of them going back to the room to get Alice. Someone wrote in a notation of the nice moment we did see between Caine and Peter in the episode, but it must have been put in a later script.
 Monica Sztybel
Back to the hospital:

DESCRIPTION: "Peter shudders, still unconscious, but now showing signs of life. Dr. Blackwell is watching the monitors. She looks slightly puzzled."
Dr. Blackwell: "He's stablizing."
DESCRIPTION: "She moves to Peter, studies him, gently touching his face."
Dr. Blackwell: "I didn't expect this to happen so soon. I wasn't even sure it was going to happen to tell you the truth."
DESCRIPTION: "She looks at Caine quizzically, then to the Ancient.
Dr. Blackwell: "You did a good job."
Caine: "We did nothing."
Dr. Blackwell: "Are you sure?"
DESCRIPTION: "She exits. Caine and the Ancient gaze down at Peter."
Ancient: "He knows that you are with him. He has known from the moment you sat beside him, and long before that. It is that strength which protects him and gives him the courage to continue."
DESCRIPTION: "Caine nods, smiles ever so slightly and we fade out."
 Monica Sztybel
The tag in the original script, as I said before, took place at the brownstone. But Peter isn't in it AT ALL. Neither is the Ancient. Sho is there, and HE'S the one presenting Caine with the wok.

The later script has that scene like the episode. When Peter gives Caine the knife he sees sadness in Caine's eyes. Hence the explanation about killing Tollis.

The tag in the hospital is slightly different. Caine doesn't give Peter a cricket. When Peter thanks Caine for saving his life, Caine is about to slap him, but - remembering Peter's condition - taps his cheek.
 Monica Sztybel