Bowie and Episode 21 (Episode 86)

Susan Smith

Listening to David Bowie to fend off the ick as I revisit Episode 21: Nine Days and Two Car Seats, finishing the script for Episode 86: The Children Are Not Alright. The title comes from Susan’s own mouth, the first true thing she said to the sheriff on the ninth day. I have Bowie in my ears and the DSM-V open next to my laptop; I’m entering the criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder into the script so I can be precise and not just sling around dangerous psychological terms like people like to do on the net. Thank you for once again allowing me to use my master’s degree. Boston University ‘94! ;)

I’m also reading Bowie: Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books That Changed David Bowie’s Life by John O’Connell. I think I mentioned it beforehand, being excited to start it, and how many books we had in common. I have to add one book: I didn’t realize that Camus’ The Stranger was called The Outsider in Europe. Read that in English AP class in 12th grade, and we had fun realizing The Cure’s first single “Killing an Arab” was about this novel. Knowing Bowie traveled with a huge folding bookshelf stocked with hundreds of books that he couldn’t bear to leave at home just makes me love him even more.

Talk to you tonight or in the morning about this update on Susan Smith’s bad behavior since 1994. It’s a doozy. Be good to yourselves and each other (to risk sounding like Jerry Springer).

Carla