ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL: TATTLE: WHEN TO TELL ON A FRIEND (TV)
Summary
One in this series of dramas intended for young audiences.
The story concerns a group of high school swim stars on their way to the state finals: Colleen, Maggie, Linda, and Sandy. Colleen’s father takes them out to celebrate their victories at his ice cream parlor, where Maggie also works. After the festivities, Colleen pulls out a few vials of cocaine for them to share. Maggie and Linda are not interested and leave, but Colleen convinces Sandy to partake with her.
Maggie and Linda soon start to notice changes in Sandy and Colleen’s behavior. Colleen and Sandy have Linda and Maggie look after the little kids they oversee for their after-school program while they sniff lines of cocaine; they are running out and want more. At their swim practice, Sandy is sluggish and Colleen missing. Maggie finds her in the bathroom with a massive nosebleed. Maggie realizes Colleen is still doing cocaine and confronts her about it, but Colleen denies it. The swim coach has a chat with Maggie, Linda, Colleen, and Sandy, asking them to fix whatever is throwing off their swim performance amongst themselves.
Maggie discovers that Sandy’s academic performance is also being affected by their habit. Linda and Maggie contemplate telling their coach about it, but are afraid of the consequences. Linda suggests privately telling their coach without revealing their identities, but Maggie wants to talk to Sandy and Colleen about it first. Later, Colleen shows up at her father’s ice cream parlor while Maggie is working. She distracts Maggie long enough to steal money out of the cash register. Later that night, Colleen’s father discovers the theft and believes Maggie is responsible; he fires her.
Linda and Maggie confront Sandy and Colleen about their drug problem, but they continue to insist that they don’t have one. Colleen believes they are more concerned about the swim meet than about her. While Linda and Sandy leave them alone, Maggie tells Colleen about the register theft and about her getting fired. She tries to get Colleen to straighten everything out with her father, but she refuses and angrily tells Colleen to mind her own business.
The next day, Maggie tells her mother that she got fired, but won’t say why. Later that night, Maggie hints at the whole story without revealing it; her mother advises her that “protecting [people] does a lot more harm.” The next day, one of the children in Colleen and Sandy’s after-school program nearly drowns in their pool and Maggie arrives just in time to save him. Colleen and Sandy left him unattended because they were on the phone with their drug dealer. Maggie is outraged at Colleen for letting her habit endanger the child, but Colleen brushes off the whole incident. Sandy won’t listen to Maggie either.
Over Linda’s objections, Maggie informs the swim coach of Colleen and Sandy’s drug habit. The coach confronts Colleen over the matter, but she denies ever using cocaine. Sandy, however, caves in and admits to being a cocaine addict. The coach is more concerned about her well-being than her performance on the swim team. Colleen finds out Maggie told on her to the coach and is incensed. She continues to insist she doesn’t have a drug problem and believes Maggie is trying to get her in trouble just to spite her. The coach walks in, encouraging them to work together just as they always have done.
Sandy seems to feel much better, but Colleen quits the swim team in the middle of practice, storming out. Later, Maggie is alone in her room when her mother enters, having heard about recent events from Sandy’s mother. Maggie feels terrible, believing that her informing her coach about Colleen and Sandy did nothing to help them. However, her mother disagrees and says that despite the difficulty in doing so, Maggie did the right thing. She says that the most important thing Maggie can do is to be there for Sandy, who will need her friendship more than ever.
In the locker room, Sandy shoos away Maggie, angry at her for seemingly ruining her life. Her parents are forcing her to attend a drug rehabilitation clinic. The coach announces that she has officially withdrawn Maggie and her team from the state finals. Linda purposefully avoids Sandy, following the advice of her parents who have labeled her a “bad influence.” Colleen’s father shows up looking for Colleen; she ran away after he confronted her about her drug use.
Maggie goes back inside and finds Sandy crying by the pool, alone. Sandy gives some information about where Colleen might be, but she does not know enough to ascertain her exact location. Sandy is deathly scared of attending her first rehab session. Maggie says she’ll go with her and this consoles Sandy somewhat. The episode ends as Colleen comforts Sandy by the pool. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 30, 1987
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:02
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:20315
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Teenagers; Drug addiction
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1972-1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Diana Kerew … Executive Producer
- Carol Polakoff … Producer
- Llewellyn Wells … Associate Producer
- Gabrielle Beaumont … Director
- Jeanne Betancourt … Writer
- Harold Wheeler … Music by
- Allison Smith … Cast, Maggie
- Katharine Ross … Cast, Maggie's Mother
- Tammy Lauren … Cast, Colleen McNeil
- Amy Benedict … Cast, Sandy
- Marisol Rodriguez … Cast, Linda
- Bibi Besch … Cast, Coach
- Charles Siebert … Cast, Mr. McNeil
- Zachary Bostrom … Cast, Teddy
- April Brotherton … Cast, Cindy
- Luke Edwards … Cast, Jack
- Susan Farnsworth … Cast, Swim Girl #1
- Cynthia Mann … Cast, Swim Girl #2
- Melissa J. Hayden … Cast, Swim Girl #3
- Connie Mercede … Cast, Donna McNeal