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Fourth Floor · Episode 1

Who Approves This

Dana booked the flights before asking for the time off. Turns out there is nobody left who can actually approve it.

Open-plan office in the morning. Dana leans back daydreaming about vacation. Kevin, still typing: “Did you get it approved?” Dana: “…I bought the tickets.”
Dana texts from her phone: “Ivan, can you approve my time off from the 15th?” An auto-reply comes back: “Out of office until the 15th. Have a great day!” Dana, deadpan: “And who approves it…”
Dana throws up her hands at Marina: “My manager is on vacation.” Marina, unbothered: “Then his manager's.”
CEO office with an old photo of five people on the wall. Mr. Vaughn spreads his arms: “Dana! Of course you should go. We are a family here.” Dana: “Does the time off get logged somewhere?”
Corridor. Lena points at her laptop screen: “An approval doesn't count if it isn't in the system.” Dana, head down: “He said it out loud.”
Greg types in headphones without turning around. Dana: “Greg, can someone put it in the system?” Greg: “Someone can. Not me.”
Office kitchen. Adam with a mug: “Wait, you have to get vacation approved? In March I just didn't show up.” Kevin: “And?” Dana watches in silence.
Ross walks up to Dana's desk and snaps his laptop shut: “Heard you're stuck on the vacation thing? On it.” Dana: “Really?” Ross: “Noted it down.”
Sasha waves from a video call: “Isn't there a spreadsheet for this?” Dana, stunned: “What spreadsheet?”
Nancy arranges flowers without looking up: “The 15th through the 30th? Already marked you down.” Dana, stunned: “How did you know?” Nancy: “You mentioned the tickets on Monday.”
High view of the open-plan office: everyone works at their monitors while Dana sits alone thinking: “What if Nancy got sick?”
An evening office, Nancy's empty desk with a name sign and a dead plant. In the doorway Mr. Vaughn: “Nancy's on vacation. Who keeps her spreadsheet now?” Marina: “Was there ever a spreadsheet?”
Two weeks later.

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Episode 2

Just Ask Anyone