I haven't been able to update recently, grad school has kept me too damn busy. But anyone who does have some time should write an episode!
What is this page?
This is the script for a fictional television sitcom called Starting Material. The site allows you to make modifications so that you can contribute by writing or modifying episodes.
Setting
Hartsford University, a fictional school in the Northeast. Not an Ivy League institution, but a competitive school with a reputation for its organic division.
Plot
The show follows the lives of several graduate students and professors in the chemistry department of Hartsford University.
Characters
Main Characters
Darren Skiles: central character of the show, a good-natured guy with a good heart but a weak stomach. Regularly has funny daydreams and cracks jokes that only he understands.
Lisa Parks: biochemistry student with lots of energy. Her involvement and sincerity makes her a very likeable character. Her free-spirited attitude can come off as air-headed at times.
Phil West: Darren’s best friend from college. Loves reality TV shows and has the street smarts that Darren sometimes lacks.
Heather Silverman: Love interest of Darren, a second-year student who works in Dr. Grundmeyer’s lab.
Peetey: A scrawny student in a computational lab. Is afraid of everything, especially chemicals.
Dr. Grundmeyer (also called “Dr. G”): organic professor. Famous for not being around lab, often takes vacations and “expects results” when he gets back.
Dr. Ackerman: Departmental chair, obsessed with making Hartsford a top 20 university. Known for cutting costs, selling graduate students short, being extremely rude, and has developed a reputation for being a slavedriver.
Alec: British postdoc in Dr. G’s lab. Big asshole and extreme suckup to Dr. Grundmeyer. Darren Skiles' antagonist.
Ted: Dim-witted organic student. Played football in college, often still wears the jersey.
Secondary Characters
Whitney, Brittney, and Ashley: Three premed undergraduates in the Grundmeyer lab who don’t really know what’s going on. They’re either gossiping about the MCAT or asking the labmates basic quesitons like how to use the rotavap.
Jesus (pronounced Hay-zeus): Latin-American student in an inorganic lab.
Believes he has special powers that can make chemical reactions occur. Wears a medallion but never talks about it.
Dr. Phebolman: Jittery assistant professor who often feels "under the gun" by other members of the department. Sweats profusely, lacks confidence, and is sometimes threatened by Dr. Ackerman.
Viktor: Russian student in an physical lab. Very tall and impersonal.
Hirotshi: Japanese student in an analytical lab. A details-oriented person who likes to count things and is preoccupied with organization.
Pat and Susan: Run the stockroom. Often say inappropriate things on the job.
Xiong: Old Chinese man who is the administrator of the NMR lab. Occasionally shares ancient wisdom with the students.
Episodes
EpisodeOne "Fresh Meat". First year graduate students get acclimated as they take a guided tour on their first day at Hartsford University. Students call dibs on the hottest research groups and find out how mad Xiong gets when you touch the department's new 800 MHz NMR. Phil embarrasses himself when he mistakes the premed girls for graduate students.
EpisodeTwo "Classes Begin". The atmosphere already gets cliquey when the new graduate students gossip about their GPAs and argue about MIT vs. Harvard. "Synthetic" and "Descriptive" labels create a rift between the students.
EpisodeThree "Feeling Things Out". Darren and Phil discuss the merits of the instituion after running into Dr. Ackerman and his elitist attitude. Jesus gets offended when someone calls him "Spanish".
EpisodeFour "Cuttthroat Competition". Feelings are hurt when the students get accepted into labs. Phil considers leaving when he only gets into Dr. Dunpickle's laser lab. Darren meets Heather.
EpisodeFive "Crack the Whip". Darren feels swamped under the pressures of Dr. G. and Alec adds insult to injury. Students find a beer hangout to escape the worries of lab.
EpisodeSix "The Future of Hartsford". Peetey thinks he gets "burned" when he touches some solvent. Darren feels uncomfortable with Patty and Susan’s sexual innuendos. Dr. G. and Dr. Ackerman argue about the university’s direction.
EpisodeSeven "Take One For the Team". Heather breaks the solvent still and Dylan takes the fall for it, Alec suspects foul play. Ivan reveals his soft in the most unusal way.
EpisodeEight "Through Hell and Back". Students look back on a difficult first year.
About the Show
You can edit this show by logging in. Write an episode or add a joke to one already written. We ask that you keep the following in mind:
1. This show is fictional, so do not create characters to mock actual persons.
2. Keep it fair, the show does not intend to malign anyone's area of chemistry so keep your jokes balanced and representation of chemistry fair.
3. Do not delete anyone else's work, only add to it (small additions, please, like throwing in a joke here or there).
4. Abide by the rules of the pbwiki site.
5. Read the WritingGuidelines for writing/editing before changing anything.
Welcome to your PBwiki!
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