40 Tina Leary, Psychic, in Jedi Mind Trip

Tina Leary, in "Jedi Mind Trip"

Sister Ellen, a devout nun and teacher at Holy Cross Academy, has been sent on a peculiar mission by her Mother Superior: to visit a psychic named Tina Leary and find "proof" of the spiritual world. Tina, who communicates with the deceased through a surprising use of a large radio , is initially skeptical of being treated like a "circus performer".

However, the reading takes an unexpected turn. First, Tina performs a "preliminary reading" that uncovers Ellen's secret obsession with Star Wars and the concept of the Jedi. Ellen reveals her belief that "The Force" is real—a universal energy that can be shaped by focused human thought, or "manifested".

The conversation then shifts back to the mission: speaking to the dead. Ellen is stunned when Tina's radio summons not a religious figure, but her deceased friend and former novitiate, Camille. The conversation with Camille—and later, Ellen's own mother, June —challenges the very foundation of Ellen's faith. They confirm that the miracles, the resurrection, and even the Blessed Virgin are "legend and myth" or "made up stories". Left reeling by the truth, Ellen must now decide if she can continue her life of service knowing her faith is based on fictions, and whether "The Jedi of the Holy Cross" is a viable path forward.

✨ Major Themes

• Faith vs. Proof: The central conflict is Sister Ellen's quest for tangible proof of her faith, which ultimately leads to the debunking of religious doctrines by those in the afterlife.
• The Nature of Truth and Meaning: The script explores the idea that even if religious stories are "myth or legend," the message of love, forgiveness, and helping people is still worthwhile and real. The "dead" argue that the lessons matter more than the historical details.
• Spirituality and Modern Mysticism: The episode contrasts traditional Catholic faith with a modern, Star Wars-inspired spirituality, where the Force is interpreted as the scientific reality of interconnected energy, manifestable through focus and belief.
• Vocation and Identity: Ellen grapples with what her life as a nun means if the tenets of her order are false, questioning if she is "wasting her life" or better off as a "Jedi".

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Tina Leary, Psychic, in "Jedi Mind Trip"
by
Rick Regan
Oct. 3, 2023

INTERIOR - TINA LEARY’S OFFICE - MID-MORNING
The office is a converted row house in Washington, DC. It
has wooden floors, big windows and an exposed brick wall.
The interior has been updated but it is still a homey,
cozy space. Tina is at her desk, leafing through a
newspaper. She looks at the clock.

TINA
Eleven o’clock.
The doorbell rings. Tina goes and opens the door. A woman
comes in. She is in her early thirties, with a simple
outfit and modest hairstyle. She has a pleasant smile and
open demeanor.
ELLEN
Is this right? Eleven o’clock?
TINA
Come in. Please. Thank you for
being on time.
They sit on the comfortable chairs in the middle of the
space.
ELLEN
So... are you her?
TINA
Her?
ELLEN
The psychic?
TINA
That’s right. That’s me. What can
I do for you today?
ELLEN
I heard that you can... speak to
the dead.
TINA
In a fashion, yes.
ELLEN
And that they talk back?
TINA
Sometimes. I know it sounds
strange. Is that what you are here
for?

ELLEN
Maybe. I think so. I don’t know.
TINA
OK. Let’s back up. Where did you
hear about me?
ELLEN
One of the sisters.
TINA
Your sister? Did she come here?
ELLEN
One of the sisters in the order.
TINA
The order?
ELLEN
Yes.
TINA
OK, give me a hand here. The
sisters, the order?
ELLEN
We are sisters of the Holy Cross.
I am a teacher at Holy Cross
Academy, in Bethesda. It’s a girls
school.
TINA
Oh! So you are a nun? I see.
ELLEN
Yes, I am a sister of the order
and a teacher.
TINA
OK.
ELLEN
So one of the teachers heard a
couple of the students talking
about it. It sounded like one of
the parents had been for a
reading.
TINA
Alright. Well, um... What can I do
for you? Do you want to talk to a
relative, a parent?

ELLEN
We talked about it with the
Superior. Some said it was
impossible. Others said it must be
possible. So, she sent me, to find
out.
TINA
(becoming testy)
Hmm. Like a test? What kind of
proof do you want? I mean, I am
not a circus performer. I don’t do
stunts or magic tricks.
ELLEN
Well, you see, we have devoted our
lives. You know? And, we all do it
because of our faith.
TINA
Well, that’s your choice, I guess.
ELLEN
And, if there was a way... you
know...
TINA
A way? To prove your faith? Is
that it?
ELLEN
Well, yes. But more than that.
There are a lot of things,
teachings, customs, legends, all
of it. And we take them on faith,
but what if it were possible to
get some evidence? What if we had
some proof?
TINA
If you are looking for a miracle,
this is the wrong shop.
ELLEN
(agitated)
I’m not looking for a miracle.
It’s just...
TINA
Wait. Ok. Hold on. Calm down.
Let’s take this one step at a
time.

ELLEN
(breathes)
Ok. Right. One step at a time.
TINA
I don’t normally do this but I
need to ask for payment up-front.
ELLEN
Up front?
TINA
I don’t know if you will believe
what happens here or not. And if
you don’t, then you may not want
to pay me. Now I am confident in
what happens here, but I would
like the seventy-five dollars in
advance. Can you do that?
ELLEN
Yes, I understand. Can I run a
card?
TINA
Yes.
ELLEN
It’s the school card.
Tina takes the card and they finish the transaction with
the point of sale machine.
TINA
Thank you. Now, let me do a
preliminary reading and see if
there is anything else I should
know.
ELLEN
Ok, but there is the main thing. I
want to speak to the Blessed
Mother.
TINA
The Virgin Mary? You want me to
summon Mary for you? I don’t know.
ELLEN
That’s the main thing.
TINA
OK, listen to me, I don’t control
these things.
If it works, it works. I’ll try
but if it doesn’t work, that’s how
it goes.
ELLEN
I will pray.
TINA
Hold on! Before you get praying,
sit still for a few moments, and
when you are ready, close your
eyes.
ELLEN
(excited)
Will we summon The Blessed Virgin?
TINA
Not yet. Just relax and close your
eyes. I will tell you when to open
them. I am going to look into your
mind. I am going to put my hands
on your face.
ELLEN
Oh my! OK.
Ellen closes her eyes. Tina gently puts her hands on
Ellen’s face. They sit quietly together. Tina takes her
hands back.
TINA
OK. You can open your eyes. Very
good.
ELLEN
What? What did you see?
TINA
It seems pretty normal. Nice
parents. You are close to your
mother. Your brother seems like a
nice guy. You love your students
and teaching. And the comradery of
the vocation seems to be
satisfying as well.
ELLEN
Um, yeah.
TINA
Is that a pretty accurate summary?

ELLEN
Yeah.
TINA
But there was something I don’t
understand. Something about, is it
Star Wars?
ELLEN
(embarrassed)
Oh, that. That’s nothing.
TINA
It seemed like it’s not nothing.
You spend a lot of time thinking
about it, whatever it-is.
ELLEN
It’s just, you know, a side thing.
TINA
Look, I’m a psychic, not a
therapist. But if there is
something you want to talk about,
I’ll listen. It’s your time.
ELLEN
Well... have you heard of the
Jedi?
TINA
Yeah, sure. “Use the Force, Luke.”
That stuff.
ELLEN
It’s just that I’ve kind of
discovered... that... it’s real.
TINA
The Jedi? OK. I’ll bite. What’s
real?
ELLEN
The Force, or something like it.
TINA
Could be. I’ve seen stranger
things.
ELLEN
You’re the one who talks to the
dead.

TINA
That’s true. It’s pretty weird,
when you put it like that. So, OK,
the Force. How does it work?
ELLEN
Well, it’s not like the movies. I
don’t fly or make things levitate.
TINA
Too bad. That would be handy, to
be able to fly. But you said that
you’d discovered it.
ELLEN
I didn’t discover it. I discovered
that it is out there and that
people already know how to use it.
It’s hiding in plain sight.
TINA
How so?
ELLEN
We think we know how the world
works. How things move, how things
happen. If you let go of the apple
it will fall to the Earth. That
kind of thing.
TINA
OK.
ELLEN
And that has gotten us a long way
in the world. But, you see, when
scientists look deeper and deeper
into the structure of the
universe, there is nothing there.
No thing.
TINA
No thing?
ELLEN
At the atomic level, they see the
parts of the atom. When they go
further than that, things get very
strange, and what seems like solid
matter just kind of disappears.
Into energy. It’s just energy. All
of it. All of us. Energy.

TINA
Energy? Like Strong-Force, WeakForce? Gravity?
ELLEN
Right. I’m not a scientist but at
that scale everything becomes
theoretical anyway. But what the
theory says is that the entire
universe, everything, is just
energy and forces, interacting.
Everything is connected.
TINA
OK, so is that The Force?
ELLEN
Sort of. In the movies, the
characters reach out their hand
and move things around, like a
magic trick. But in real life,
it’s not like that.
TINA
Alright. What’s it like then?
ELLEN
The energy and forces exist
everywhere. But humans have this
strange power. You see, when we
have an idea, we are shaping the
energy into a different thing.
Usually we get an idea and then it
goes away. But if we focus on the
idea, repeating it, making it
exist over and over again, the
idea becomes real, in the real
world. We say it manifests.
TINA
Like a miracle.
ELLEN
But it’s not a miracle. It’s using
the energy and the forces in the
universe to make reality
different. We can change things
with our minds.
TINA
OK. I can see that. Interesting
stuff. Now what does that mean for
you?
ELLEN
I want to be a Jedi.
TINA
I wanted to be a cowboy but it
didn’t work out. But a Jedi? You
want to be a Jedi? How do you do
that?
ELLEN
Mmmmm.... I’m kinda hoping that
you’ll help me become a Jedi.
TINA
Me? I’m no Jedi. I’m not even a
doctor. I do some geo-political
consulting from time to time but
no Jedi stuff.
ELLEN
Just think about it.
TINA
You are throwing me a curveball
here. And besides, can you be a
Jedi AND be a Holy Cross nun? I
mean, how would that work?
ELLEN
I don’t know. I don’t know if it
can.
TINA
Maybe you could think it into
working. Jedi-style.
ELLEN
Please don’t make fun of me.
TINA
No, I’m sorry. It sounds fine. I’m
just not sure what I can do for
you.
ELLEN
Can we talk to the dead?
TINA
Dead? Oh, right. Sure, we can try.
Tina Leary wheels over the big radio and switches it on.
ELLEN
Is this it? Is this how it works?
TINA
Yes. I talk into the microphone
and my mother talks through the
speaker.
ELLEN
Wait a minute! Is this a hoax? Is
she sitting in another room? Is
this just a walkie-talkie?
TINA
I know it’s strange. Just trust
me.
ELLEN
This is such baloney.
TINA
Please, humor me.
(into the microphone)
Mother? Are you there?
MOTHER
(through the speaker)
Hello, dear. Good to hear from
you. Do you want some help with
the lovely sister from Holy Cross?
TINA
Yes. She wants to find out about
some things.
MOTHER
I know. When you were looking into
her mind, I was looking into
yours. And I’m just going to tell
you I am not going to call the
Holy Mother down here for this.
ELLEN
Of course not. Because she can’t.
Do people really fall for this?
MOTHER
For a lot of reasons, which I
can’t really get into. But I did
see that she has a friend here.
Maybe that will be helpful.
(aside)
Camille? Can you come here? It’s
Ellen.
ELLEN
(stunned)
Camille? Oh my heavens!
CAMILLE
(through the speaker)
Ellen. It’s so good to talk to
you.
ELLEN
Camille! Where are you? In heaven?
CAMILLE
Well, it’s not really like that.
ELLEN
What do you mean?
CAMILLE
You know we learned all about
heaven and hell, and purgatory.
Prayers to the saints and all.
When we were novitiates, at the
order.
ELLEN
Camille, I can’t believe it! I
can’t believe I am talking to you.
It’s been so long. We’ve all
missed you so much.
CAMILLE
It was hard leaving but you know
maybe it’s better this way. I am
with you always. I sit with you in
your room at night. I visit all
the sisters. I look out for you.
ELLEN
You do? Really?
CAMILLE
It is my life of service. It’s
what I can do.
ELLEN
So it’s real? All of it?
CAMILLE
All of what? Everything?
ELLEN
Jesus, the cross, the
resurrection.
The Blessed Mother, the apostles.
The saints and the miracles?
CAMILLE
(sighs)
Well, no, not really.
ELLEN
What?
CAMILLE
It turns out that most of it is
legend and myth. Most of the
things never really happened, or
happened in ordinary ways but they
wrote about things as miracles. It
just doesn’t work like that.
ELLEN
So, our order, our devotion. Our
faith? It’s all a lie?
CAMILLE
No, no! It’s not a lie. The faith
that you have is the faith in the
world. The devotion is to helping
people, making the world better.
That’s all good. That’s not a lie.
ELLEN
But, but, Lourdes. Our Lady of
Guadelupe. People saw. It was
real.
CAMILLE
Maybe. Maybe. But no, not really.
But that’s not important. What
matters is that you do what you
do, because of the faith in your
heart, in people, in the world.
ELLEN
I can’t believe you’d say that. I
want to speak to the Blessed
Virgin!
CAMILLE
Ellen, honey, um, it’s not going
to work out. I came to talk to you
to tell you how much I love you
guys. I miss you. And I’m so proud
of what you are doing with the
school. There are so many great
girls there.
You doing wonderful work. Cherish
that. Keep the peace in your
heart.
ELLEN
But Camille, come on. Really?
That’s it. None of it is real but
keep the faith anyway?
CAMILLE
Kinda, yeah. I mean, I’ll admit I
was disappointed when I got here,
wherever here is. I expected the
angels, pearly gates, to be in the
presence of the infinite goodness
of God.
ELLEN
So where are you?
CAMILLE
We just exist in the spirit world.
That’s all I can tell you. I come
down and watch over you at night.
I am there beside you when you are
doing your prayers. We are free,
you know, to exist in a place with
no pain, no hunger.
ELLEN
(crying)
Oh Camille! I can’t believe it’s
you.
CAMILLE
I am always with you. Keep the
love in your heart.
MOTHER
I think that’s probably as far as
we’re going to get. We’ll sign off
now. Goodbye.
CAMILLE
Goodbye, Ellen.
ELLEN
Goodbye, Camille.
Tina switches off the radio and wheels it to the back of
the room again.
TINA
So that was weird.

ELLEN
I can’t believe it. Camille!
TINA
Who was she?
ELLEN
We joined our order together. We
became novitiates together, until
we said our vows. We did
everything together.
TINA
Oh. And what happened?
ELLEN
She got sick. She lost a lot of
weight and just died. We didn’t
even get to take her to the
hospital. It was so fast. They
never worked out what it was. And
she was gone.
TINA
And here she is.
ELLEN
Yeah.
TINA
So, did this give you the ‘proof’
you needed, about speaking to the
dead? Did I pass your test?
ELLEN
Oh, that doesn’t matter. Not now.
TINA
Oh?
ELLEN
If none of it is true, what am I
doing? What are we all doing?
Mother Superior, the Bishop, all
the way to the Pope. What are we
doing?
TINA
It sounds like you help people.
And that’s worthwhile. You make
the world better. That’s what
Camille said.

ELLEN
I’d be better off as a Jedi.
TINA
Maybe you all could be Jedi. The
Jedi of the Holy Cross.
ELLEN
But the cross isn’t holy. Not
anymore. I don’t know if I can go
back now.
TINA
Look, hang on. I know this can be
a lot to take in. I’ll just say
you should probably take some time
and think about it. Sleep on it
and get some perspective.
ELLEN
But what do I tell the sisters,
Mother Superior? I can’t lie to
them. But what do I say?
TINA
I’d say tell them what Camille
said. You don’t have to sugar-coat
it. And you don’t have to
exaggerate. They are adults. You
came to find things out and you
did.
ELLEN
But I can’t tell them all of it is
made up, myth or legend.
TINA
And if you do?
ELLEN
How can we go on?
TINA
And if you don’t tell them? If you
tell them this was all a hoax?
ELLEN
Then I am living a lie.
TINA
Well, I guess you have to decide.

ELLEN
I want to talk to my mother. Can
we get her on the radio now?
TINA
I’m sorry to do this, but I have
another appointment coming in a
few minutes.
ELLEN
You can’t just leave me hanging
like this!
TINA
Sister Ellen, let’s do this. Take
a few days to think about what
happened today. Then, come back.
I’ll see if I can get my mother to
find your mother.
ELLEN
No, I need to know now.
TINA
Look, you are at a place where you
have to make some decisions. Don’t
be hasty. Think about it and come
back. I have a space on Friday,
same time. Does that work?
ELLEN
I’m teaching then. Look, I just
need to get another opinion, from
somebody I trust. My mother only
died five years ago so maybe she
is still there. Can we at least
try?
TINA
Ellen...
ELLEN
Please!
Tina looks at the stricken woman and relents. She wheels
over the radio and speaks into the microphone.
TINA
Mother? Sorry to bother you.
MOTHER
(through the speaker)
No, no. It’s alright. I could hear
what was happening down there.

TINA
She wants to talk to her mother.
MOTHER
Yes, well, it took me quite a
while to work out who she was, but
I found her.
TINA
What do you mean? We just spoke a
moment ago.
MOTHER
Time is different here.
ELLEN
Did she find her?
(towards microphone)
Did you find her?
MOTHER
Yes. Hang on.
(aside)
Right over here, dear. It’s your
daughter, the nun.
Sounds of rummaging around while Ellen’s mother gets into
place.
JUNE
(uncertain)
Ellen, dear. Is that really you?
ELLEN
Oh, mom! I can’t believe it. It’s
you. Are you alright? Is
everything OK...up there?
JUNE
It’s not really ‘up’, or anywhere.
But we’re here. And everything is
fine.
ELLEN
Mom, I have a few questions.
JUNE
I know, dear. I am listening to
you all the time. I am glad that
you got to speak to Camille. You
two were such good friends.

ELLEN
Mom, she said it’s all a lie. Is
it? I mean, am I wasting my life?
JUNE
No, of course not. You’re not
wasting your life. You are
teaching all those wonderful girls
at school.
ELLEN
But what about the other stuff?
Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, the
miracles?
JUNE
Oh honey, those things are just
made up stories. They are morality
stories that help us learn how to
live, in society. The details
don’t really matter. It’s the
lessons.
ELLEN
The lessons? But...
JUNE
Listen, it doesn’t matter if Jesus
did or didn’t rise from the dead.
What matters are the teachings
about love and forgiveness. And
you embody that message. You are
living a life of faith in that
message. You are an example to all
of those girls.
ELLEN
Hang on. Just one thing. Does the
Virgin Mary exist, or not?
JUNE
(long pause)
Ellen, dear...
ELLEN
Yes or no?!
JUNE
No.
ELLEN
(crushed)
No? Really?

JUNE
Really. And from our position in
the spirit world, if that’s what
it is, we can go back and forth in
time. And I wanted to know, so I
looked.
ELLEN
And?
JUNE
Mary was a simple village girl.
And one of her sons became a
preacher, with a message of love
and forgiveness. But that was it.
He gave up preaching after a while
and went back to work with his
father as a carpenter. Totally
ordinary.
ELLEN
So Camille was right. It’s all a
lie?
JUNE
No, the message of love and
forgiveness is what is real and in
your heart.
The doorbell buzzes. The next appointment is at the door.
TINA
Ellen, I have another appointment
now. You have to go.
(to the radio)
Thank you, mother. Goodbye.
MOTHER
Any time dear.
The radio connection with the spirit world clicks off.
Tina gets up to open the door. Ellen is sitting, stunned.
Tina welcomes in the next client.
ELLEN
But I didn’t even get to say
goodbye.
TINA
She’s not gone. They are all
listening, all the time.

The new client is a young woman, around Ellen’s age and
they look strikingly similar. Same modest outfit, same
modest hair, roughly the same size. They look at each
other. The new client looks at Ellen and raises her
eyebrows, to silently ask if the service is legitimate.
Ellen looks down, then nods at her.
ELLEN
I’ll go now. Thank you.
Ellen gets up and goes to the door, passing the other
women. Ellen goes out.
TINA
(to new client)
Now, how can I help you today?
END