Initially, the relationship between Dan and Alison was to be more explicitly detailed than what is seen on screen. The below segments from the pilot script provide some more details of the relationship between Alison and Dan (portions in [brackets] indicate dialogue removed from the televised version). For more on the difference between the pilot script and the televised version, click here: http://bit.ly/GPAqn6
ALISON: Then maybe I am right. Something is wrong.
DAN GOES TO THE BAR AND SLIDES IT OPEN
DAN: I think you can use a drink.
ALISON: Too early, but don’t let me stop you
DAN: I’ve been trying not to let you stop me. Booze I can resist, it’s you that…
DAN: [Being with the man you love is far from isolation but doctor, try being pragmatic like a romantic lawyer.] Erica is probably happy being hidden away, because Erica is not quite Erica any more. She bulges a little in the middle, wouldn’t you think?
ALISON: It’s a woman’s prerogative – at six months.[ And I’m beginning to think you’re more a misogynist than pragmatist.]
DAN: [Try me, Alison]
[ALISON (CHANGING THE SUBJECT): Do you have any sherry in there?
DAN (OPENING BAR): Don’t tell me I’m driving you to drink]
ALISON: Oh stop it, Dan. You really think that’s all it is about Erica?
DAN: Nope. I think it’s an idyllic love with one of the richest men in the world who owns an island paradise. (SMILING) Wouldn’t you like to hole up there? After marriage, of course
.
ALISON: Maljardin? You know what it means?
DAN: Of course, all French is Greek to me, but I believe it means – Garden of Evil
ALISON: Exactly. Now why would he call it that?
DAN: It was handed down to Jean Paul – along with the family fortune. Sherry too strong?
ALISON: Just this funny feeling that something is wrong – with Erica.
DAN: Look, I’m flying down at noon. Unless you’d rather I sit here and hold your hand. I’ll call you with a full report when I get back.
ALISON: Suppose I fly down with you?
[DAN (A HAPPY GRIN): The way to a woman’s heart is sherry before noon. I’ll have Ruth book you on. ]
Alison’s line of “and I’m beginning to think you’re more a misogynist than a pragmatist”, along with his reply of “try me, Alison” are eliminated from the televised version. From this line, it can be inferred that Alison disapproves of Dan’s womanizing ways, and wants the assurances of marriage from him rather than just a dating relationship. It is possible that, in this context, the word “misogynist” (which means someone who hates women) was incorrectly used in place of the word “misogamy” (hatred of marriage) which would fit with the scripted Dan/Alison relationship. Also, Dan’s relationship with Alison is more defined in the pilot script. He clearly has a definite interest in her. It is not made explicit, but is inferred, that Alison is more interested in being actually married to Dan before anything more intimate takes place. This is also hinted later in the televised episode when Dan presents a hotel room key to Alison, implying that they will be sharing a room (his preference) and then later shows Alison a second key indicating that they have separate rooms (her preference). Lines present in the script but eliminated on TV add more to this background, implying that Dan is a bit of a philanderer whom Alison wants to tame (by marriage) rather than simply becoming another of his female conquests.
These lines, referring to sherry and drinking, are eliminated from the televised version, possibly due to the lack of an actual bar in the conference room used for this scene. Dan’s line of “after marriage, of course”, which is retained in the televised episode, is the only specific reference in the pilot to some sort of pending future relationship between Dan and Alison. In the context of this scene, the line makes it clear that Alison wishes to marry Dan but he’s not quite ready yet. However, its significance in the televised episode is diminished by the elimination of the expository references pertaining to Dan and Alison, and can be perceived as more of a throwaway line.
Dan’s comments about sherry and Alison’s response are removed from the televised episode. Dan’s comment about “the way to a woman’s heart is sherry before noon” clearly implies that he is happy that Alison will accompany him to Maljardin in that he hopes it might lead to a romantic interlude between them. It’s elimination from the televised episode makes Alison’s accompanying Dan to Maljardin more about Erica and Jean Paul Desmond (for both of them) and removes the romantic subtext.
