June 3, 1968
A man and women are having sex in the back of a car parked in an alley. Once the man is done, he hands the woman Valerie Solanas money. It's not enough, and she walks away in disgust. Valerie goes to a gun store to buy bullets, and tells the clerk that they're for Andy Warhol.
24 Hours Earlier
Andy is directing a movie when Valerie comes in She tells Andy that she wants her script back, and Andy tells her that it was obscene and he can't find it. Valerie figures that he lost it because he can't stand to see a woman succeed, and Andy tells her that women can't be serious artists. Furious, Valerie flies into a rage and the assistant Paul shoves her out.
June 3, 1968: 1:30 pm
Valerie loads the gun and puts it in a bag, and takes a freight elevator up to Andy's loft. When she gets there, she discovers that Andy isn't there and leaves. She waits in the elevator until Andy comes in. He takes the elevator up and gets a call from Viva. As he takes the call, Valerie follows Andy to his desk, takes out the gun, and shoots at him. The bullet hits near his head, and she fires and misses again. Valerie tells him that he had too much control over her life and shoots him in the chest, and then walks out.
Now
The news reports on the mass shooting at Kai's campaign rally. The video shows that Meadow fired and then killed herself, and Ally was arrested but isn't saying anything. Harrison gives a statement about how Meadow mentioned Kai as her target and she wrote that it was a political shooting.
Kai and Winter are at home, and he receives a call that he won the election.
Beverly goes out to her car and sees an older woman Bebe Babbit standing next to it. The reporter takes a gun from her purse, and Bebe tells Beverly that she's a puppet and lost her way like all women. Bebe talks about man-cults and how women are blinded to the inequalities. She says that she knows what it means to assassinate a man, and what happened with Kai wasn't that. Beverly wonders what she is, and Bebe says that Meadows could have walked right up to Kai and kill him, but didn't. She tells Beverly to come to her hotel room when she's ready to hear the truth and walks away.
He next day, Beverly goes to Kai's house and discovers that the front door is locked. A man finally answers the door and Beverly demands to know who he is. Kai tells the guards to let her in and explains that they're volunteers from all over. Some of the men are hitting each other, and Kai tells Beverly that people are answering the car. Beverly warns Kai that they're losing momentum, and they need fresh blood. Kai takes her to the public where men are checking their guns, and says that the people want stability and he's going to give it to them. When Beverly complains that isn't what they agreed to, Kai tells her to take a break. she warns that he promised equal power. He says that she needs to trust him, and Beverly asks if Meadow puts her trust in him. Kai tells her that Meadow was a troubled soul, and Harrison comes in to lead Beverly out. She angrily shrugs away from him and walks out, glaring at Kai.
That night, Beverly goes to the hotel and the woman is expecting her.
Beverly arranges an after-hours meeting with Ivy and Winter at the Butchery. While they wait, Ivy says that no one knows where Ally is after the cops took her away. Samuels won't pick up, and Winter says that Kai is only listening to men now. Beverly pounds on the door, and Ivy lets her in. Bebe is with her, and Beverly says that Kai promises them a seat at the table but now he's pushing women aside like men always do. The reporter has Bebe tell Ivy and Winter about Valerie. Bebe says that Valerie was her lover and a visionary, and the only one who was sane.
Chelsea Hotel – New York – 1967
Valerie was inseminated by her father and stepfather. Bebe met her when Valerie was reading The SCUM Manifesto. It lays out that men are the real problem with the world. Valerie collects throwaway women who agree with her philosophy, and Valerie says that they have to murder every man on the planet. Some men, masochists and humans, were admitted because they encourage other men to demasculine themselves. Valerie declares them gender-traitors but lets them stay.
The group resettles to San Francisco, and Valerie tells Bebe that wars need loud martyrs and they have to use violence because that's all that men understand. She says that one she's gone, Bebe should wait for her signals.
Vallejo, California: 1968
Bebe figures that shooting Andy was the signal. She and the others stake out a lover's lane and kill David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen.
Now
Winter points out that the Zodiac Killer murdered the couple. Bebe says that Valerie's plan was that they were the Zodiac. All of the Zodiac killings were actually SCUM killings. They started with couple-busting to send a message to women that coupling with men would get them killed.
Lake Berryslea: 1969
A couple are having a picnic and laying on the blanket. A figure in the Zodiac clothes approaches them, and then the SCUM women stab the couple to death.
Earlier at a meeting, Valerie hands around a rifle and explains that they'll use men's invention to kill them. Once they start, other women will rise up to join them.
Now
Bebe says that everything went according to plan, and Valerie coordinated it from a mental hospital in New York . Then a man sent letters to the news claiming that he was the Zodiac Killer.
The Past
Valerie talks to Bebe on the phone and complains that a man is taking credit for their work. Bebe suggests that they take credit, but Valerie refuses until a thousand people are dead. When Bebe suggests that it's a trap set by the police, Valerie figures that men won't stop until they have the whole world.
Later, the imposter kills Paul Stine. The public accepted that Zodiac was a man, even if his identity was never revealed.
Bristol Hotel, San Francisco: 1973
Valerie meets with her followers and says that she had an epiphany. She says that she was wrong about men, and there are no exception. She has one of the homosexuals, Maurice, stand up, and shows him his journal in the same handwriting as the Zodiac Killer. Maurice tries to deny it, but his lover Bruce tells him that it's his fault. Valerie jams a razor into Bruce and Maurice runs out. when Bruce says that he's still a man, Valerie stabs him and tells him to stand up. The other women draw knives and surround Bruce, and they stab him to death.
Later, the police find Bruce's dismembered body laid out in a field. His genitalia are in his mouth.
Valerie goes to the police and says that she's the Zodiac Killer. She says that she was mastermind the whole thing from an institute, and the sergeant tells her to leave. Valerie tells him that his kind will be obliterated like dogs, and the officers drags her out screaming.
Back in her hotel room, Valerie snaps and tells her followers that they have to think bigger. She has a hit list of men like Hugh Hefner, Billy Graham, Steve McQueen, and Bobby Riggs. The followers scatter as Valerie rants and raves, and Bebe can't get through to her. Finally she leaves, and Valerie creates a record of every offense of the patriarchy. Andy finally appears to her in a vision, and figures that he's tampering with her typing. He says that she didn't know better and forgives her, and Valerie flies into a rage. Valerie says that even know, everyone thinks of Andy when they remember her name. She complains that Andy has taken her life and her legacy, and Andy tells her that shooting him will be the only thing she's remembered for. He tears up her record and Valerie throws herself at him, trips, and hits her head on a table.
Now
Bebe tells the others that Valerie was spit out by the world, just like Meadow was and just like they will all be eventually. She tells them to reclaim their power before it's too late, and Beverly says that they have to strike back and won't miss.
Later, Winter goes to her parents' bedroom where Kai is sitting with their corpses. He asks if they would be proud of what he accomplished, and that there's a lot of pressure on him. Kai wonders if he's worthy of the responsibility put on his shoulders, and Winter says that he's her brother and she loves him. he tells her that he has to make hard choices, and what they're doing will change the world. However, Kai figures that the two of them are family and the others are followers. He asks Winter if he can count on her, and Winter says that he can. As Winter goes, Kai takes out Valerie's writings and says that he found them in Winter's room. She dismisses them as crazy writing, and Kai says that it's inspiring. He figures that to take it to the next level, he needs a philosophy. Kai suggests the title MLWB—Men Lead Women Bleed--and then tells Winter that Harrison came up with it. Winter tells her brother that she has something to take care of and leaves.
Ivy tells Harrison that she's planning a victory part for Kai, and takes him to the Butchery. Only Beverly, Bebe, and Winter are there. Beverly tells Harrison that he's the guest of honor and clubs him unconscious. They tie him to a table and Ivy revs up a meat saw. Harrison wakes up and they ask what happened to Meadow. He tells them about Kai's plan, and says that her death had more meaning than any moment in her pathetic life. Harrison insists that Kai is the genius, and Beverly tells him that he should know what it's like as a gay man to be marginalized. He says that he's a man, and Ivy kills him.
Later, Beverly does a news report on Harrison's murder. Kai watches and looks at Valerie's manifesto, while Beverly says that the promise of law and order isn't being kept. Kai turns off the TV and says that they're at their best when they're angry... and looks over at Bebe sitting with him.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 18, 2017