BETTER LIE

LOGLINE

An unsolved heist and a disappearing dead guy make the feud over a house between a young gay man and an older widow a wilder ride than either expected.

OVERVIEW & CHARACTERS

Poor, innocent, Eva Hartfield believed her life had been turned upside down by Cameron, her husband’s, untimely death. But really, she had no idea just how bad it could get. One newly discovered lover later – is it worse that he’s male or that he’s thirty years younger than her, or dear God, are there more? – and she thinks she’s heard it all. Oh, but there are so many more devastating secrets in store for Eva! Besides, is anyone ever truly innocent!

From sleepwalking through a seemingly perfect life, she suddenly finds herself as the star of a perfect lie.

Why have all her assets been frozen? Who stood to gain everything that Cameron and she had built up over their multi-decade marriage? What does an art heist more than thirty years ago have to do with Cameron or indeed her father? And why did she walk into her house one day to find a twenty-something-year old mixing tequila slushies and prancing around her kitchen?

Milo Saintwater is just a normal guy in his early twenties… that is, if his wealthy businessman lover hadn’t met with a fatal “accident”, or if hadn’t found a random dead body, or if hadn’t overstayed his visa, or inherited half a house outside of NYC. Actually, let’s just say Milo is a human magnet for trouble and…definitely not a regular guy in his 20s. Under the sarcastic and humorous facade of innocent – ah, that word again – young man, lie bags and bags of trauma, secrets, and fear.

Better Lie opens with a brief flashback of an art gallery heist in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1992, generating a crucial storyline revealed bit by bit over the arc of the series. Some thirty years later and the seemingly forgotten, definitely unsolved crime is slowly coming to light. Who carried out the heist? Who has kept it secret all these years and how is it implicated in present day events? When a dead body appears in the house Eva and Milo are fighting over – and then disappears – they must somehow find a way to put their differences on the back burner or watch all their most secret hopes and dreams turn to ashes. After all, what good is even half a house… if you’re dead?

KEY MOMENTS & EXCERPTS

After the flashback of the 1992 heist, we cut to the meet (non) cute of our leads, Eva Hartfield (50s) and Milo Saintwater (20s) in the present day in the Hartfield’s summer house:

INT. HARTFIELD SUMMER HOUSE - NIGHT

Eva, having just driven to the house from the city, opens the side door to the kitchen. She’s astonished to find the Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” wailing out at top volume.

A young man, Milo, is drowning his grief over his lost lover in a tidal wave of tequila, while dancing and singing wildly. Bottle in hand, he is oblivious to Eva standing in the doorway.

Eva slams her keys onto the countertop.

Milo, absorbed by the music, still fails to notice her.

Finally, catching Eva's reflection in a big sliding balcony door, he whirls, spinning out an arc of alcohol.

MILO

Holy fu--!

Eva is furious.

EVA

No, who the f*ck --??

Milo gasps.

MILO

Oh my god!! The Merry Widow! I didn't expect you until Christmas... at the earliest…if ever.

Grabbing the remote control from the counter, Eva mutes the music.

EVA

Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house!?

Milo recovers quickly.

MILO

Your house? Oh, no, honey. This is my house now. But since you're here... I say, let's have a drink!

Milo wildly splashes a drink into a glass and offers it to Eva with one hand, swiping the control from her with the other. He dials the music up full volume, and throws the control on the sofa.

—

This scene begins to delve into the relationship of our two leads: widowed wife, secret lover. The base is set.

But the last thing Eva wants is to spend a night in a house occupied by her dead husband’s unexpected lover. Milo is too drunk to care. The pride of each prevents either from leaving…so, like two rival cats, they stake out their territory.

By the way, Milo doesn’t actually have anywhere else to go. Eva? Well, for the moment, she’s still blissfully unaware that the summer house is, in fact, her only home. That is still to come.

More facts unfold the next morning.

—

While Eva wakes up bright and early and ready to meet with Cameron’s lawyer to discuss the will, Milo is still out cold from the night before.

Out of nowhere, Dell (40s), her almost friend, almost lover situationship pops up – exercising his knack for always choosing the worst possible moment. Packed with more muscles than mind power, Dell is nevertheless a pure soul who would do anything for Eva. But, please God, not this morning. Eva can’t deal with him. Not today.

However, as she rebuffs him, and speeds away, Dell spies young Milo through a window – finally awake and aware – racing to get ready. He’s also late for an important meeting! Dell immediately springs into act-first, ask-later mode.

INT./EXT. HARTFIELD SUMMER HOUSE - SUBSEQUENTLY

With an eye firmly on Milo, Dell creeps toward the house from bush to bush. Why? Who knows. He would look far less suspicious if he just rang the doorbell. But, Dell is Dell. Inside, Milo - hungover, late - is running around getting ready to leave.

Dell peers through the sliding glass door into the living room to see Milo striding towards the kitchen in his underwear, his back to the window.

As Milo turns, Dell pulls back. Close call.

Dell peers in again, then loses it. He bangs on the glass sliding door. Milo whirls, peers, and utterly unbothered, saunters casually to the door.

DELL

(shouting through glass)

Eva is mine!

MILO

Okay.

(pause)

Can I help you with something?

DELL

Don't play games with me.

MILO

Who are you?

DELL

Dell. Who the f*ck are you?

MILO

I'm repulsed... And super hungover, so if you-

DELL

Eva is my woman. You stay away from her!

MILO

Huh, funny she never mentioned you, Dave. I heard of Paul, John, maybe a George, but not Dave.

DELL

Dell! It's Dell! Who the f*ck is John--

MILO

I'm Milo. Her son.

Dell blinks. It takes him a moment.

DELL

What? She-- no. She never-

MILO

Mentioned? Yeah. First and only born. We keep it lowkey, Dan.

DELL

It’s Dell.

MILO

Pretty sure I just said that.

Dell stares at Milo awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

MILO

Now, if you excuse me, I'm pretty late. I need to get into the city by 10. Big meeting.

DELL

Oh. Well. (pauses enough to let his good nature return) You need a ride? My car's just there.

Milo slides the door open just enough to poke his head out. He looks at Dell’s souped-up Subaru, wrinkles his nose, then looks sceptically at Dell.

MILO

Right, Dale, give me 10.

Milo shuts the door behind him.

DELL

It's-- Dell.

—

With delivery by Dell, Milo beats Eva to the city.

Pastries and smoothies specifically curated for his new “bestie”, Milo’s appearance is a jaw-dropper for Eva.

EVA

What are you doing here?

MILO

(lowering his sunglasses)

It’s me, Milo Saintwater! Big meeting with my lawyer – you?

EVA

You can’t be serious.

As Milo offers Eva one of the drinks, a passerby jostles his elbow, showering her white silk YSL blouse with a dark green smoothie. The cup falls to the ground.

MILO

Oh, no, no, no!

Grabbing a napkin from the tray, Milo tries to wipe the green stain off Eva's blouse.

EVA

Don't! Get off me! Look what you've- aargh.

Eva mops at her blouse as Milo grabs the cup from the ground, turns it to check the name on the side of the cup: "Eva".

MILO

Oh, too bad. This was yours! Celery, parsley, kiwi, rocket and corn. Yum!

—

In the lawyer’s office: One thing is for Eva to tolerate her dead husband’s lover at the will reading – after all, what choice does she have? With any luck, she’ll be out in an hour, everything done and dusted.

Another thing entirely is to discover that the only asset her philandering husband has left her is half a house in the countryside. What happened to the midtown brownstone? The cars? The art? The MONEY! And, wait, what? Half a house??!

Milo is along for more than just the ride. Cameron had always promised Milo the summer house. A safe haven, full of good memories. Wait, what? Half a house-share? With her…the Merry Widow?!

One house to share between the newly met mortal enemies?

When do we ever get what we expect out of life?

EVA

But what about the brownstone, the savings, the cars, the art?

NOVAK

Well, actually, Mrs. Hartfield, the summer house is the only asset assigned to you and Mr. Saintwater.

EVA

Mmh, uh, okay, so, what's assigned to me-

(slowly)

- alone?

NOVAK

No, the summer house is all there is. I drew the will up myself. There's no mistake.

EVA

Well, who got everything else?

MILO

(outraged)

There was someone else?! Who?! Who the hell got everything else?!

Eva’s gaze reads: excuse me, that's MY question.

NOVAK

I'm sorry. Client confidentiality.

MILO

Confidentiality, my ass! So what, we just get the crumbs?!

Eva turns again to Milo. Her glance says: Who the hell are YOU?

EVA

WE?! There's no-

MILO

(pointing at Eva)

She was married to him for almost 30 years and all we get is a f*cking share of a f*cking cottage summer bunker!

NOVAK

I am obligated to inform you that you have 24 hours to vacate all other premises.

MILO

24 hours?!

NOVAK

Standard procedure, I'm afraid.

EVA

One day to pack up almost 30 years?

NOVAK

You're allowed to take your personal belongings.

MILO

Gees, what’s next? A two bag allowance and extra for a carry-on?

NOVAK

Well...

MILO

Oh My God.

Eva ignores Milo.

—

Welp, how to pack 30 years in 24 hours? Eva, now in full downward spiral mode, is in her NYC brownstone throwing her entire life into a few suitcases. What else did Cameron hide from her? What secrets are still hidden in the home they shared? What clues can she discover in the few hours before she has to leave the brownstone forever?

INT. HARTFIELD SUMMER HOUSE - THAT SAME AFTERNOON

Meanwhile, Milo, back at the never-owned, now-shared summer house is living his best life on the couch.

He’s minding his own business – and, okay, a bit of Eva’s business – when a phone rings upstairs. Milo stops mid-scroll. So it isn’t his phone. He freezes. Ummm??? Listens. Waits. Watches.

Peeling himself very, very reluctantly off the couch, Milo grabs the nearest “weapon”: a wooden meat pounder. (Useless, really.) He creeps up the stairs, the phone ringing louder with every step.

Then the phone stops ringing. Silence. Then immediately starts again. Again, no one responds.

Milo begins to perspire. Who are we kidding? To sweat. Nervously. Profusely. A bedroom door stands slightly ajar. The meat pounder wobbles in Milo’s trembling hand. Gingerly, he pushes the door open, then leaps back.

The door slowly swings open to reveal a heavyset man lying face down on the floor. Oh, great. The ringtone is coming from one of the man's pockets.

Milo shoves the door further open to get a better look into the room. Empty, except for the body on the floor. A not so small detail. Still holding the meat pounder (really useless now) in his hand, Milo continues down the hall to check two more rooms and a bathroom. All empty. Thank god.

The phone stops ringing. Bling: voicemail.

Back to the body on the floor. Yep, still there. Milo nudges the man gently with his foot. No response.

MILO

Hey!

Silence. Milo nudges the body harder.

Hey...hey, you. Wake up. You can’t sleep here. This is private property.

Nothing. Turning his face away and delicately pinching the man's wrist, Milo checks the man's pulse: nothing. He leaps back.

Oh my go- Who am I kidding? Phone. Phone, phone, phone...where's my phone?

Milo pulls out his phone and begins dialing 9-1-- then stops.

F*ck, wait, no.

With shaking hands, he dials another number.

C’mon, Eva, pick up, pick up. I know you hate me right now, but pick up.

No answer.

Pocketing his own phone, Milo peeks into the mystery man’s most available jacket pocket. Nothing.

Cringing, he lifts the body slightly to one side and plucks the phone out of the man's breast pocket. Dropping the dead weight, Milo gags.

Phone in hand, Milo backs out of the room, turns, flees.

—

In the meantime, back at the brownstone, amidst boxes and bags, Eva is being grilled by her younger (read, annoying) sister, Heather.

Mid-conversation, Eva turns to notice a gap on a wall otherwise full of expensive art. She frowns.

EVA

Huh, there’s a painting missing.

HEATHER (V.O.)

Uh, it’s Dad's 70th, remember? Mom's furious you're not here.

EVA

Oh, crap, I for- Look, I have to vacate this house by noon tomorrow.

HEATHER (V.O.)

What?! Why? How?

EVA

I can't go into it right n-

HEATHER (V.O.)

And the summer house?

EVA

It’s a 50-50 split.

HEATHER (V.O.)

Who's the other 50?

EVA

Well...

HEATHER (V.O.)

Oh my god, who is she?

EVA

He.

HEATHER (V.O.)

Hee? What is she foreign? Hee? Do we know any Hee? Is Hee pretty?

EVA

No, a he.

HEATHER (V.O.)

What's a Hee?

EVA

A HE, Heather, a he, a man!

HEATHER (V.O.)

A he? You must be high.

EVA

Not high, He's a he, believe me. Apparently, there was a side to Cameron none of us knew…

—

In fact, the only new thing Eva has managed to find in her quest for answers is a business card a peculiar man had passed to her at Cameron’s funeral.

Finally, seated behind the wheel of her Mercedes, Eva takes the card from her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she dials the number:

VOICEMAIL (V.O.)

"Frank Wallace, here. Please leave a message. I'll get back to you shortly".

EVA

Hi, Mr. Wallace. It's Eva Hartfield…

—

Milo, having fled the house in terror, wanders restlessly through the city of New York.

As he recalls when and where he met Cameron, we have our next flashback:

INT. RESTAURANT - DOWNTOWN NEW YORK - EVENING

A rainy evening, downtown Manhattan. The rain washes down the big window facing the street. Like, LOTS of rain. A deluge of rain. Mostly, just because it fits the mood.

Milo, in a waiter’s uniform, grabs a tray full of drinks from the bar.

MANAGER

Milo, there’s a crying man sitting at the front counter.

MILO

Ugh. And what am I supposed to do with that information?

The Manager merely looks at him significantly before walking off.

Milo gets the message loud and clear. (More about this later, dear Reader…)

MILO

(under his breath)

Fine...

Milo walks down to the front of the restaurant. Looking ahead at the busy street, Cameron’s tears match the rain pouring outside.

MILO

Uh, can I get you anything? More water?

(under his breath but audible)

911? Xanax?

Cameron starts wiping away his tears.

CAMERON

I’m fine.

MILO

I kind of need to get you something, though.

CAMERON

I’ll just... I -- I’ll check the menu.

MILO

Why are you crying?

Cameron glances at Milo for the first time. He mutely shakes his head.

MILO

Look, I’m just a stranger in an overpriced restaurant in downtown New York forced to speak to a crying guy sitting at the counter. I really don’t care.

Cameron stares at Milo, unsure what to say.

CAMERON

So, you’re a waiter here?

MILO

No, I actually own the building but I like to cross-dress as a waiter.

Cameron guffaws.

CAMERON

Cameron.

MILO

Milo.

They exchange a look that is hard for either of them to break.

Cameron notices Milo’s features. Milo scratches his neck and blushes.

MILO

Okay, I’m really gonna need you to order something.

CAMERON

(not quite back in reality)

I’ll get a Negroni.

MILO

Fine.

Milo walks away.

—

And we’re back to reality! Oh, the present day with all its problems, trials and tribulations.

Eva’s Dad’s 70th birthday party becomes a real downer once little sis’ Heather breaks the news to daddy Charles about the missing painting and “no assets left to Eva” situation. Just half a house.

Why is Eva’s estranged family suddenly so interested in her life? (They weren’t before.) Why does Charles want Heather to somehow take care of the current state of affairs? (Pun very much intended.) Why does everyone suddenly care? (Eva was never this interesting or popular.)

—

After a long lonely trawl through Manhattan’s clubbiest clubs, drinking and diving, Milo heads back to his half of the house.

He enters to find the kitchen is overflowing with food preparations, pots are boiling, pans are sizzling. Eva is chopping onions furiously and wiping away angry onion tears. She’s making food for an emotional army.

She barely glances over her shoulder when Milo walks in.

He stares at Eva as she bends to lift a tray of six Cornish hens (random detail, tasty, but, yes, random) out of the oven. She talks to him over her shoulder:

EVA

Look, I'm not thrilled that you’re here either, but we have to work something out.

MILO

What are you doing?

EVA

Cooking?

MILO

At midnight?

EVA

I cook when I'm upset.

Milo’s eyebrows raise: that's a lot of upset.

MILO

So, you know?

Eva turns her attention to a massive bowl of salad.

EVA

Stop, let me finish. As I said before, there's a lot of things that I just simply don't understand...

MILO

Eva...

EVA

I said, let me finish! Something happened in Cameron's life, okay? Something I had no idea about. And I'm not even remotely talking about you. That's a different story.

MILO

Eva...

EVA

If after almost three decades of marriage he only leaves me half of the summer house shared with YOU, there must have been something else going on.

MILO

There is-

EVA

So, we're gonna have this goddamn dinner now and you will tell me every single thing that you know, because I NEED TO know everything you do. And I KNOW that you know something.

MILO

EVA! LOOK AT ME!

Eva pauses. She finally looks squarely at Milo.

MILO

Come upstairs with me.

EVA

Excuse me?

MILO

Ew, no. There’s something upstairs you need to see.

—

(You know what’s worse than a random dead body in your house…)

INT. HARTFIELD SUMMER HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Eva and Milo stand in the doorway of the bedroom, staring at the empty floor. There is NO DEAD BODY.

Milo whirls around.

MILO

I'm telling you. There was a dead body here.

Eva’s eyebrow rises skeptically.

MILO

Why would I make something like that up?

Eva's eyebrow goes even higher.

EVA

Umm, I don't know. How old are you, six?

MILO

28.

Can Eva’s eyebrow go even higher?

MILO

Okay, okay. I'm 24. I’m not messing around. There was a body here.

EVA

O- kay.

Frantically, Milo pats his pockets.

MILO

Here! Here! You don't believe me? Here's his phone. He kept getting calls.

EVA

You took a phantom dead guy's phone? Eww.

MILO

You're telling me.

EVA

It does whiff a bit in here.

She goes to open a window. Turning back, she sees Milo's face again.

EVA

You just came back, and there was a dead man in your house?

MILO

Oh, it's my house now there's a dead man in it?

EVA

I don’t see a dead man. Do you see a dead man?

(beat)

Did you at least call the police?

Milo is silent.

EVA

So, what did you do?

MILO

I didn't do ANYTHING!

EVA

What about an ambulance?

MILO

I'm telling you, he was dead.

EVA

Oh, so you’re a doctor now, too?

MILO

(beat)

Okay, I can't call. My visa expires in 2 months.

Eva looks at Milo – again with the eyebrow.

MILO

Okay, it's expired, actually. F*ck. You see how it would look!?

EVA

How do I know you didn't do it?

MILO

Oh, so NOW you believe me.

EVA

Maybe I’m just playing along with you.

MILO

Yeah, right, because killing a person is like the number one tip in the "How To Renew Your US Visa" Guide.

—

Eva holds out her hand for the phone. She tries entering a password. Fail after fail.

Finally, Eva thinks for a moment. Frowns. Types in: 11-09-70.

Milo recognises the number: Cameron’s birthday.

The first three messages are from a frantic young man. Neither of them recognize the voice.

VOICEMAIL

Fourth unheard message…

EVA (O.S.)

…Hi, Mr. Wallace, it's Eva Hartfield…

Eva and Milo stare at each other, wide-eyed.

Terrified, Milo, begins backing away.

—

VISION

Better Lie is a comedy filled with intrigue, suspense, drama, and deadly humor. It is a story of two individuals who could not be any more different thrown together by a tragedy that takes them both by surprise. In their precarious situation, they must either rise together or watch everything around them go up in flames.

Eva has built a life on the banks of denial while Milo will tell tales even when the truth would be better. Therefore, lies masked by laughter and unwanted truths told through tears hallmark this improbable relationship. Can they hope to get to the bottom of the circumstances that threw them together in the first place?

Could it be that what seems peculiar at first sight, might just turn into the most organic version of the ordinary?

Better Lie exposes their vulnerabilities. It explores how far they – or you or I – will go to protect the secrets buried deep within.

The show asks: How different do things feel when we’re alone? What mask do we put on when with our families? What side of ourselves do we show to complete strangers? Our characters are walking pressure cookers hiding deeply hidden truths, even from themselves.

To their surprise, the relationship forming between them will turn out to be the one they craved throughout their lives.

Season 1 of Better Lie explores the exasperating-but-inescapable relationship between lead characters, Eva & Milo. The lies buried in the 1992 art gallery heist mystery will be unearthed, as well as what happened to all of Eva’s assets. And no, we haven’t forgotten about the disappearing dead body. The particulars of the “vanished” murder will slowly reveal Eva’s complicated relationship with her family and Milo’s colorful but turbulent past, filling in the answers to questions left by Cameron Hartfield’s death.

The show takes viewers on a wild emotional ride across a hilarious range of absurd circumstances experienced by two people who would otherwise never even meet.

Better Lie is written by Marcel Grabowiecki & Rosvita Rauch – surprisingly a young guy in his twenties and a woman not in her twenties… or thirties… or forties... Thrown into a creative collaboration by a global pandemic, they have been writing partners since 2020. No parallels here. Promise.