Death and Other Details (2024) s01e01 Episode Script
Chapter One: RARE
1
[BIRDS SQUAWKING]
[DOGS BARKING]
YOUNG ANNA COLLIER: Tripp, give it back!
YOUNG TRIPP COLLIER: Aw, you're
never gonna get this back.
NANNY: Tripp, leave your sister alone!
- RUFUS COTESWORTH: Pay attention.
- YOUNG ANNA: I'm gonna kill you!
- RUFUS: Details matter.
- YOUNG TRIPP: Good luck.
RUFUS: If you want to
solve a crime, any crime,
you must first learn to
see through the illusion.
KATHERINE COLLIER: She
got suspended from school.
Stole a rare book from
the library, first edition.
She's been acting out
since her mother died.
Which is completely understandable.
Maybe she'll talk to you.
LAWRENCE COLLIER: She's
like a daughter to us.
All the resources of this
family are at your disposal.
[GENTLE, MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[WHISTLES] I'm Rufus.
Must be Imogene?
[SIGHS] Huh.
I'd wager they never even play with it.
So you're the world's
greatest detective.
[CHUCKLES] Their words, not mine.
[RUFUS GRUNTS]
I'm here to help with
your mother's case.
I understand you're the only eyewitness.
I don't remember.
- [ENGINE RUMBLES]
- [EXPLOSION BLASTS]
But I wanna help.
You will.
You and me,
we're gonna help each other.
[SINGERS VOCALIZING]
RUFUS: I bet you think
it's easy, reader.
You are wrong.
Illusions are everywhere.
[WATER SLOSHING]
[QUANDO C'È LA LUNA PIENA
BY COCKI MAZZETTI PLAYING]
RUFUS: In my 30-year career, I
have learned two key lessons.
One, do not attempt to bribe
a national parks employee.
And this:
what is real is precious and rare.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Celia Chun is using this
to fuck with the offer,
but [SIGHS] she's just
bluffing. I know she wants in.
Check these upper deck bars.
These people got all your money.
Because I know.
She's on our ship drinking our booze.
She wants in, so just give
me the numbers that I want.
- Has she convinced 'em?
- Who, the board?
No, the Chuns. Don't you work for her?
As an assistant in the
marketing department,
as you remind me constantly.
You know, I keep a screengrab
of your adorable, little pay stub
- in my favorites folder.
- Yeah, I know, Tripp.
- You showed me at the holiday party.
- Mm.
ANNA: for anything under eight.
- You know that.
- IMOGENE SCOTT: She's rattled.
- TRIPP: My sister? Terrified.
- Give me the revised spreadsheet.
She's gotta lock down
this Chun money. Has to.
- Mm! Olives. Thank you.
- SERVER: Of course.
ANNA: And that's last
night, but we'll see. Okay.
Hi, sorry. Work is just
- I'm being a bad friend.
- No, it's fine.
Did you, uh, d'you fix things?
- Close that funding round?
- It's fine. Everything's fine.
Good. Well, don't worry about me.
I'm happy just freeloading as per usual.
What? Imogene, please, you're family.
Really glad you say that
because my room service bill
last night was hilarious.
Ha-ha.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
[EXHALES] Mm.
♪
- [GLASSES CLATTERING]
- GUEST: You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!
This watch is worth 50 grand! You
hear me? That's 50,000 American.
- More than you make in a fucking year!
- I'm so sorry, sir.
- I'm so sorry
- Your tip was in here. Was.
[WINNIE BREATHING HEAVILY, GASPS]
Is that your friend, Tripp?
It's my investor supposedly.
I hate that. Only a true
asshole punches down.
Somebody has to say something.
Doesn't always have to be you, though.
But I'm so good at it.
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
We get it you're a garbage person.
But what makes you think
you have to broadcast it?
Excuse me?
You're here as a guest
of the Collier family
on a billion-dollar
boat on a free vacation.
You should learn to say thank
you and shut up about the rest.
And that watch? That is an abomination.
It's not enough that people like you
need to own all the beautiful things.
Ya have to own the ugly things, too.
[SCOFFS]
Huh.
- You know what I think?
- Please. Blow my feeble mind.
[LIGHTER CLICKING]
I think you want it both ways.
I think you tell yourself
you're some kinda crusader
fightin' for the little
guy from the inside.
But the truth is, you're not an insider.
You're not somebody. You're nobody.
You're a a paid friend.
And that doesn't make
you better than them.
Makes you a hypocrite.
Tell me I'm wrong.
[COUGHING]
No, you got me pegged.
[MYSTERIOUS, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
[LOCK BEEPS, BUZZES]
♪
[GUEST SNORING]
[SNORING CONTINUES]
[GLASS SHATTERS]
♪
RUFUS: Here's a stupid
thing people love to say:
"The simplest explanation
is always correct."
[TAPE REWINDING]
RUFUS: Well I never took those cases.
I took the impossible ones,
and it made me rich
Housekeeping.
RUFUS: for a while.
You want to know how I did it?
I already told you.
Pay attention Details matter.
♪
[SCREAMS]
♪
- [CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
- [SHIP HORN BLARES]
- [SEAGULLS CALLING]
- [CHURCH BELL TOLLS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DEEP DRUM MUSIC PLAYING]
I can't believe we're gonna be
trapped on this thing for 10 days.
I'm so sorry I dragged you into this.
[BIRDS CALLING]
[LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING]
- It's okay.
- Sir!
Hey, hey, it's okay.
Hey, Larry, Larry, Larry!
Hey, man, nice digs!
[CHUCKLES] I hope she floats.
I'm Tripp's friend, Keith Trubitsky.
I wanted to thank you for the
invite. I mean what a treat!
"The world is ugly and
the people are sad."
Wallace Stevens wrote that, and
he died in 1955, the lucky fuck.
Imagine if he saw the
dumpster fire it is now.
But all that ugliness stays on shore.
When we sail these rolling waters,
we leave the real world behind.
And let me tell you who
paid for the privilege.
You all know Mr. Lawrence
Collier by name and reputation.
He sails with his wife, Katherine,
to celebrate his retirement.
Every guest aboard this
vessel is important
because every one of them is
important to Mr. Lawrence Collier.
Their daughter, Anna, is expected
to take over for her father
as CEO of Collier Mills,
but this is no simple case of nepotism.
Anna Collier is a shark.
They can't come back and
want to renege on terms
that we already signed
to. Just tell them no.
TEDDY GOH: Her wife, Leila Collier,
a retired clickbait journalist,
requested a room on the
south side of the ship
to avoid 5G contamination.
Leila has certain peculiarities.
[SLIGHT CHUCKLE]
Anna's childhood friend, Imogene Scott,
was taken in by the Collier family
after her mother's grisly murder.
Anna's older brother,
Lawrence the third, or Tripp,
- is a self-employed entrepreneur.
- Hit me.
Goddammit! Motherfucker
TEDDY: Tripp has launched
many enterprises,
all of which have failed.
What he has succeeded at is cocaine.
♪
NURSE: Here's your vitamin B12 IV drip.
TEDDY: Governor Alexandra Hochenberg
of the state of Washington
is up for reelection this fall.
She is a virtual shoo-in.
We've been working on this
deal for over a year
TEDDY: As might be expected,
the Colliers always travel
with their family lawyer.
After I got your
dipshit son into Vassar?
TEDDY: The Collier entourage
includes Father Toby Briggs,
well-known political kingmaker.
Father Toby drags along his son,
known to the world as That Derek.
Oh, yeah. These people rich.
TEDDY: That Derek is
a rising TikTok star.
What up, baddies? It's
your boy, That Derek.
Surely, in his celestial manse,
Wallace Stevens weeps for us all.
The Chun family operate a
global fast-fashion empire
overseen by matriarch Celia Chun.
Rumor has it the Chuns will announce
a sizable investment in Collier Mills
while they sail with us.
You may recognize their
personal security detail,
Rufus Cotesworth.
Once heralded as the
World's Greatest Detective,
he has been brought low by circumstance.
[RUFUS SNORING]
TEDDY: And finally, rounding
out our VIP guest list,
is Mr. Keith Trubitsky
of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Proof that money cannot buy taste,
good looks, charm or ability.
Fuck!
Our guests look to
you to transport them
to a bygone era of beauty and style.
It is a spell we cast. Do
not be the one to break it.
Dismissed.
[CREW CHATTER INDISTINCTLY]
TEDDY: Winnie, do you know what
the very best part of my job is?
Sunil lets me fire anyone I want.
You can't fire me.
Not if you don't want a
lecture from Mum at New Year's.
I worry.
There are temptations when you spend
so much time around these people.
You start to think like them,
you start to act like them.
But you can't,
because they have something that
protects them everywhere they go.
And what is that?
Money.
CREW [OVER PA]: Buongiorno,
ladies and gentlemen
[ELEVATOR DINGS, CHIMES]
[ANNOUNCEMENT CONTINUES OVER PA]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: I'm Rufus.
I'm here to help with
your mother's case.
♪
[HEAVY BREATHS]
[RECEPTIONIST SPEAKING FRENCH]
I'd like to leave a note for a guest.
I'm just not sure what room he's in.
Rufus Cotesworth?
I'm sorry, but the itinerary
of each passenger is private.
So, he's not a guest.
I didn't say that.
Who's he working for?
Oh.
Good afternoon, Ms. Scott.
What message would you like
to leave Mr. Cotesworth?
Changed my mind.
I'd like to leave a message
for whoever he's working for.
"You hired a fraud. Cut your losses."
Aren't you gonna get a pen?
- I'll remember.
- [ELEVATOR DINGS, CHIMES]
TRIPP: Hey! Hey, hey,
hey! Hey, bud. Hey.
Just got off the call with HSBC
and they said they
never received your wire.
Oh, yeah, my advisor wanted
to take one last look, so
Ah, uh-huh. Yeah, I'm
not dickin' around, 'kay?
Deadline's a deadline.
Midnight tonight or else
get in a fuckin' lifeboat,
get the fuck off the ship.
Okay, tiger. [CHUCKLES]
Give me the thing.
- The prospectus.
- Yeah, sure. I'll read it right now.
- Okay.
- 'Kay?
All right.
- Oh, is this you?
- [DOOR LOCK BEEPS]
My, my sister's right across the hall.
Fancy that.
[MOANING]
[LEILA MOANING]
[ANNA MOANS]
[YELPS]
[BOTH LAUGHING]
See, we can have fun
on this trip. [LAUGHS]
Yeah. [EXHALES]
[CHUCKLES]
I know the plane was hard for you.
- I'm just saying. Y
- [LEILA SIGHS]
You did it.
We're here now and we're safe.
Nowhere is safe, Anna.
W You didn't find
any listening devices.
We're on a ship in
the middle of the ocean
- for a whole week.
- [LEILA SIGHS]
Let's take advantage.
Swim go dancing.
Close a three billion deal.
That too.
But I will make time for us.
♪
Will your father announce you tonight?
At the welcome party.
I'll come.
Really?
Maybe we can go dancing after.
[CHUCKLING]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
You're never gonna fucking
guess who's on this ship.
Rufus Cotesworth is here, on the ship,
and he's working for the Chuns.
Private security.
The man's at the deep end
of a 20-year downslide.
- The man's a fucking hack.
- This is a message from Celia Chun.
- Yes.
- Corporate due diligence.
It doesn't mean anything.
You're missing the point.
She's trying to intimidate us.
Well, then, Katherine, don't let her.
It's not me I'm worried about.
- If he snoops around in the wrong place
- He's a fucking hack!
We have information that could bury him.
It would be mutually
assured destruction.
Still, it's bad form, and it
shows the Chuns don't trust us.
- I'm gonna talk to Eleanor.
- LLEWELLYN MATHERS: No, no.
If we look nervous, it means
we have a reason to be nervous.
We just keep it tight.
Do you even know how?
[SLIGHT CHUCKLE]
Okay, then. We stay the course.
I will not blow this deal
over Rufus fucking Cotesworth.
[TAKES DEEP BREATH]
RUFUS: I'm here to help
with your mother's case.
I understand you're the only eyewitness.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
It rained that day.
I don't know.
It rains a lot here.
It did.
There was a chill in the air.
[DISTANT THUNDER RUMBLING]
Were you wearing that?
She let me borrow it.
- She was always worried about the cold.
- [DISTANT RAINFALL]
RUFUS: [CHUCKLES] My mum was the same.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
So you were there
in the car.
Yes.
♪
What do you have there?
Imogene you stole this from Anna.
She doesn't even know what it is, Mom.
It has a secret compartment,
and she had no idea.
You mean this?
[CHUCKLES]
It's a replica of the one in the study.
Yeah, I know, 'cause Mrs. Collier
keeps her first
engagement ring in there.
You know, the one she
got from that polo player?
You see things.
Things other people don't
even bother to notice.
Anyone can have a toy. You have a gift.
You're gonna make me
put it back, aren't you?
I sure am.
♪
No.
N-No, I can't get out of the car.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[CRIES] Don't make
me get out of the car!
No! Don't! Mom, don't!
♪
[EXPLOSION BLASTS]
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [SCREAMS] No! Mom, no!
[CRIES] No!
[GASPS]
No, Mom!
[SNIFFLES] No!
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[EXHALES]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[EXHALES]
[LOCK BEEPING]
I see you.
- Hm?
- Have you been following me?
In Sydney?
In New York last month?
Hold on there. This is
the first time this Hoosier
has left the great state of Indiana.
Did you switch rooms to
spy on me and my wife?
Switch rooms? Oh, I
moved 'cause [INHALES]
last one was next to a
buncha screaming kids.
Who are you working for?
Lady, I think, maybe,
you're a little mixed up.
[LOCK BEEPS]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[LOCK BEEPS]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Pretty isn't it?
- [BARTENDER POURS DRINK]
- Yeah, it's a Gilbert Bayes.
He only made a few of these.
They must've paid a fortune
to have it installed here.
Yeah, it took three cranes.
Sunil.
I'm the, um
Oh, there's gotta be a better word
for it, but the mind disappoints.
- You own the boat.
- I do.
Mm.
You Americans never parse words.
Yeah, well, we're number
one in adult-onset diabetes,
so good with the bad.
It's incredible.
And it's real.
Down to every splinter. Yeah.
She's as real as we can
make her and still float.
You know, our rule
was, "If you can see it,
should've been made prior to 1955."
So, the glassware?
Curated from antique shops
across Ireland and Wales.
You know what was tricky?
- Hm?
- The towels.
Literally no one would
know the difference.
You did.
♪
Yeah, but they?
They don't care.
You wasted your money, friend.
GUEST: And where is your
lovely bride tonight?
Sadly, she is down with a migraine.
She sends her apologies.
She had an accident a few months ago.
I begged her to quit her job.
Now she's all alone in our
house while I'm working, and I
I don't know why I'm telling
you any of this. [CHUCKLES]
Mm.
Hey is tonight the night?
Dad does like to keep
people on their toes.
I swear to God, Anna, if
he fucks you over on this.
He's already teed it up with the board.
I'm next in line, it's
just a matter of when.
TRIPP [ON MICROPHONE]: Hey,
everyone. Hey, hi, yeah, thanks.
Uh, just wanna say thanks
so much for comin' out.
Thanks for being here
to honor my old man,
Papa Bear. [CHUCKLES]
My dad [SNIFFS]
a man with such high standards,
he wouldn't even hire his own son.
[CHUCKLING]
[GUESTS MURMUR]
Ah, anyway.
Ah, give it up for Lawrence
Collier, the second.
[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
I've always been a man of few words.
[GUESTS LAUGHING, APPLAUDING]
Mrs. Chun would be especially grateful
if you took the time to get to
know her granddaughter, Eleanor.
She's the pretty one.
SUNIL: Yes, but sadly, I believe Eleanor
prefers the company of the fairer sex.
And a stroll around the deck would
go a long way with the grandmother.
Whose pockets, may I remind
you, deep as the Mariana Trench.
LLEWELLYN: Imogene Scott.
You look just like your
mother did at that age.
Twenty-eight the best age.
Best age of all.
I'm looking forward to my 60s, actually.
Are you enjoying them?
Llewellyn, aren't you late for work?
The Hong Kong office opened an hour ago.
- Every time with this guy.
- It's embarrassing.
RUFUS: Everyone thought
that Contessa's jade necklace
had been lost forever.
There's just one thing separates
a detective like me from the rest.
I don't stop 'til I find the truth.
Motherfucker.
I swear, I never met a
case I couldn't close.
- I am I'm a braggart. I am.
- [ALL LAUGHING]
- Hey!
- Stop me, stop me if I
Tell me, how much is the Chun family
paying you to taste their food?
Who are you?
Who am I?
Have we met?
[HUFFS]
- Oh! God!
- [GUESTS GASPING]
[RUFUS GROANING]
IMOGENE: No, no! Get off me!
No, no! Stop! [GROANS]
I swear I never met her before
in my entire life. [LAUGHS]
- [GRUNTS] Stop!
- Hey, hey, hey!
No. Don't touch me.
Please, Ms. Scott,
- will you go back to your room?
- Or what?
Huh, you're gonna throw me overboard?
[IMOGENE SIGHS]
Just so you know, he deserved it.
[SPEAKS FRENCH] Évidemment.
What's your name?
Jules.
Or, uh, Jules, if you prefer.
Fine.
I won't go back in there,
but I can't call it a night.
Wouldn't be fair to the dress.
Where's the real party on this dinghy?
I'm on duty clearly.
Clearly.
[Alors On Danse by Stromae playing]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[ARTIST SINGING IN FRENCH]
Show me where you work. [PANTING]
♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[Alors On Danse by Stromae continues]
[ITEMS CLATTERING]
How was the party?
It was amazing.
Everyone asked where you were, and
my dad didn't announce me as CEO.
And Imogene decided to make a scene
and chuck a glass at
Rufus Cotesworth's head.
Probably three stitches, maybe four.
So, I screamed at the ocean for a while,
and drank grappa with
that Italian couple.
I tried.
I know you did.
Ya just looked so
fucking hot in that dress,
I wanted to show you off.
Anna,
the man across the hall.
Keith Trubitsky?
I am telling you, there
is no Keith Trubitsky.
[CHUCKLES]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[LOCK BEEPS, CLICKS]
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [SCREAMING]
♪
A bit gruesome,
and yet somehow poetic.
[SIGHS] I will take
care of it, of course.
- Wait. This is too much.
- Oh, please. I'm not paying.
The guy who is
he's not paying either.
- Corporate expense.
- Well,
you're fortunate to have such friends.
Everything has a price.
- What was yours?
- Mm I don't know.
Watching my mom's car
blow up in their driveway.
A joke.
I lost my parents, too.
Hm looks like we're both alone.
Jesus, I'm an asshole.
Um I'm sorry.
No you don't wanna
hear a sad story right now.
Mm, it's actually the only kind I like.
Can I tell you a secret?
What?
- I don't like champagne.
- [IMOGENE CHUCKLES]
- [SPEAKS FRENCH] C'est dégueulasse.
- [KNOCKS ON DOOR]
- [RAPID KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- Okay!
Jules.
JULES: What is it, Nnamdi?
Dead? Are you sure?
NNAMDI: We are, sir.
JULES: Room 534. This is Mr. Trubitsky.
[GLASS SHATTERS]
[WHISPERS] Fuck.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[NUMBER PAD BEEPING]
[BEEPING]
[EXHALES]
TEDDY: Last night, Mr. Keith
Trubitsky was murdered in his suite.
But we have taken all
the necessary precautions,
and are briefing the staff in shifts.
Our team has increased
security throughout the ship
to keep all of you and our
guests safe from further harm.
We're fortunate to have a
world-renowned detective on board,
Mr. Rufus Cotesworth.
He's been asked by Interpol
to lead the investigation
until we've docked in Palermo.
As such, none of our guests need
yet to be apprised of the situation.
Right.
Go on about your
business, shan't notice me.
[TAPE REWINDING]
♪
[MONITOR BEEPS]
[TAPE REWINDING]
[MONITOR BEEPS]
♪
[WATER RUNNING]
Jules?
[FAUCET SQUEAKS]
- Jules?
- Do you realize they sourced
vintage hand towels for
every room on this ship?
- Madness, that.
- Get out of my room.
I wouldn't do that, Ms. Scott.
- Ah, so, you do remember my name.
- [CHUCKLES] Came back to me.
Seven minutes, 23 seconds.
That's how long you were
in Mr. Trubitsky's suite.
♪
[HANGS UP RECEIVER]
I didn't kill him.
[INHALES] Interpol gets
their hands on this footage,
they will think differently.
- What do you want?
- I want to help you, Ms. Scott.
That's bullshit.
Fine.
I want the truth.
Oh, the truth?
Since when do you care about that?
Never gave up on the truth.
Truth gave up on me.
[SNICKERING]
That's so sad.
You know what?
You wanna show 'em the footage?
- [RUFUS EXHALES]
- Show them.
I can handle it.
Hm will your friend,
Anna, be so eager
to grease the wheels of justice
when she finds out you've been
skimming from the family firm?
♪
In 24 hours, Interpol
lands on this ship,
and you will be their prime
No.
Their only suspect.
Let me help.
YOUNG IMOGENE: I can't.
I'm trying to. It's just
- [SIGHS] I can't remember. I can't do this.
- RUFUS: All right, then.
We don't have to.
[RUFUS GRUNTING]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
What are you writing?
Just a story. A little
story about a purple rabbit
who only likes to eat rose petals.
No, you're not. That's gibberish.
Is it?
[CHUCKLES]
"Once upon a time,
there was a purple rabbit
who ate rose petals day and night."
- It's a code.
- That it is.
And no one can read it.
Not without the primer.
- What's a primer?
- It's like a lock.
A keyword known only to me.
And whoever else I
trust with my thoughts.
First coded word of every
message, always the same.
Your primer.
That very thing.
See?
If you knew the primer was,
say, cat.
C-A-T.
Then you get a code.
A big, um, D, Q, I.
Now you know the D becomes C,
Q becomes A, I becomes T.
From there, you can get to
work decoding the whole mess.
How?
I use something called
frequency analysis.
Some letters are more
common than others.
Vowels, for instance.
You know what the most common
vowel in the English language is?
- "Truth."
- It's E.
No. "Truth."
That's your primer.
It's at the front of
every one of your messages.
The same letter in the
first and fourth place.
Not a vowel, a consonant.
T it's "truth."
Hm.
Perhaps I should be working for you.
[RUFUS CHUCKLES]
[RETCHES, COUGHING]
What am I doing here again?
RUFUS: I always work with an assistant.
- Read my book.
- [IMOGENE SIGHS]
RUFUS: It's a classic
locked-room murder.
No way in or out.
Yeah, well, I got in.
Aside from the door, windows
are hermetically sealed,
the floor is It's a floor.
We have surveillance that shows
no one came in or out
of the place all night,
present company excluded.
He's been dead four, maybe five hours,
based on the way the blood
is pooled in his extremities.
Wait, so it couldn't have been me.
I was here at, like, 2 a.m.
Let me show you.
Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.
2:16.
I was here at 2:16. I can prove it.
We can show this to Interpol.
It's a start but it's not enough.
The real question is,
who would want Mr. Keith Trubitsky dead?
♪
Wait, do you smell that?
[SNIFFS] Two,
maybe three Mai Tais.
- Smoked salmon chaser.
- No, not
It's disinfectant.
Housekeeping was in here working
before they found Trubitsky.
Trampling my crime scene, no doubt.
Who knows what else she saw.
We must speak to the housekeeper.
[SPEAKING CANTONESE]
She didn't see anything.
Hm.
No, she said a lot more than that.
What? He always works with
an assistant. Read his book.
And that's you?
If she remembers
anything of consequence,
I'll be sure to inform you immediately.
Thank you.
Are you serious?
You're just gonna let her
push you around like that?
Housekeeper doesn't know anything.
And Ms. Goh is simply being
protective of her aunt.
In fact a not insignificant
amount of the crew are her relations.
And you speak Cantonese.
[SOFTLY] I dabble.
[SOFTLY] Dabble elsewhere.
Very well but the truth
will come out sooner or later.
And I prefer sooner as I like a nap.
♪
Hey, hey! What was that?
Huh? Why didn't you
press the housekeeper?
She didn't say anything.
She doesn't know anything.
No, that's bullshit.
They're hiding something.
Everyone on this ship
is hiding something.
Doesn't mean it's the
thing you're looking for.
Okay, but wait. No, hey, wait, wait.
You don't think it's a bit weird?
You and me, separated for 20 years.
All of a sudden, we're floating
around on some preposterous vacation
in the middle of nowhere,
and some asshole gets himself murdered.
- You don't like coincidences.
- Coincidences are just dressed-up clues.
Hm. Read my autobiography.
Yeah, I skimmed your stupid book.
♪
Oh, you know something
bigger is going on.
That's why you don't wanna
ask too many questions
in front of the staff.
That's why you cut out that
footage? That's why you came to me?
We can rely
only on ourselves.
We have no idea
who could be a part of
whatever this is.
[SIGHS] Okay.
- So, what now?
- Now we get to the fun part.
Get to figure out who's
messin' with us. Let's go.
What next?
I close the door
put the key card down.
No, no, no. No, I put it on the table.
Uh, the room is a wreck.
Uh, there's ketchup
stains on the carpet.
Shirt was on a chair, pink guayabera.
- No, no.
- [WHOOSH]
IMOGENE: No, it was green.
It's a green guayabera.
Mm I don't know. I don't know. I
Oh! Why can't I think?
Bog standard.
Memory is malleable.
Most witnesses distort the
truth without even realizing it.
Trust nothing. [WHISPERS] No one.
Especially yourself.
♪
[GLASSES RATTLE ON CART]
Wait.
No, I'm, I'm right, it was
green, but it wasn't on a chair.
There was a bar cart in the room
and it's not up there anymore.
[EXHALES]
Holy shit, that-that's
how they got in and out.
- Possibly.
- No, definitively.
Then the killer knows
something about you, too.
They were hiding in Trubitsky's suite.
They saw you make a hash of
his timepiece, nick 600 quid.
If you see this through,
it is possible that
you will be in danger,
that you already are.
Okay, so, so, if No, if
they rode out in the cart,
where'd, where'd they go? Where'd
they get off? Who saw them?
- I can talk to the staff.
- No, you don't trust the staff.
♪
I know what to do.
[EMPLOYEE WHISTLING]
♪
♪
Enjoy the ride, did ya?
IMOGENE: Cart stopped four
times. Twice on deck four.
Housekeeper dropped empty plates,
but the doors were
open into those suites,
so, killer could've
slipped into a room, maybe.
More likely, they got off here
[WHISPERING] 'cause there's no cameras.
Bit addictive, isn't it?
That feeling rushing through you.
[RUFUS CHUCKLES]
You know, I think we should
go back to the security room.
There's gotta be footage of
Wait, you've already
been to the security room.
You already saw the
cart get wheeled out.
You already knew everything
that I have just quote,
unquote "figured out."
I had a hunch.
What the fuck, man?
It's more fun when you
unravel it yourself.
I'm out.
Wait, I'm sorry. I tr I tried
[SIGHS] Imogene.
You're good at this.
You've always been good at this.
Even when you were 10 years old,
I could see
you had a gift.
Was that before or after you
spent all the Colliers' money
and then dropped my mom's case?
You think that's what happened?
Soon as they stopped paying, you quit.
It's more complicated than that.
I was a kid,
and you made me believe
you were on my side.
I was.
I am.
And you were right.
There is a reason
that you and I are
on this ship together.
What reason is that?
I'm still trying to put
the final piece in place.
You know, I think I've
played your games long enough.
Then go.
Sleepwalk your way into the grave.
You will not leave a mark
on this world if you do.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
I have a name Viktor Sams.
Does that mean anything to you?
LAWRENCE: No Should it?
I traced components of the
device that blew in your driveway.
Various parts purchased
by a Viktor Sams.
Likely an alias.
Three months on this case and
all you have is a fake name?
- Not a fake, sir. An alias.
- [LAWRENCE SIGHS]
RUFUS: Question now is whose.
Well, I don't have a goddamn clue, do I?
[FOOTSTEPS RETREATING]
RUFUS: I know you're in there.
Viktor Sams? That's who killed my mom?
Now we just need to unmask him.
I'll see this through no matter what.
I promise.
Jules?
[SIGHS]
SUNIL: He's workin' the Gallipoli event.
Um thanks.
I know that look.
You wanna punch somethin' or someone?
What are you even doing here?
It'd bore you. [CHUCKLES]
Uh, it's numbers-matching
Chris Craft engine.
Right nightmare to
maintain, but it sounds good.
Right, so this is why you're single.
You're in love with your toys.
Who said I was single?
Well, you cut your
hair, day before we left?
Lost 10 pounds, recently.
Hopin' to meet someone.
Or she broke your heart.
She liked me better as a banker.
Oh.
- She was a bitch.
- [BOTH CHUCKLING]
No, I
I wasn't any fun.
And I was angry.
I hated the whole ugly world.
Yeah, well, it's perfectly hate-able.
It is.
So, I quit and I put everything
I own into making that ship,
into making somethin'
perfect, somethin' real.
Are you happy now?
[INHALES] I have a purpose.
I know, it's it's a bit
odd. It's hard to explain,
but I,
I think it all found me.
I just had to step onto the path.
And leave your mark.
Yeah, exactly.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GENTLE, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: Pay attention. Details matter.
If you want to solve a crime, any crime,
you must first learn to
see through the illusion.
But you'll never succeed
with just one pair of eyes.
That's why I always
work with an assistant.
To dig out the truth behind every lie.
To wake you from a week-long drunk,
if need be.
To sort the run-of-the-mill
liar from the prime suspect.
Murdered in his stateroom
via harpoon gun, apparently.
Wait, Keith Trubitsky. Are ya sure?
LLEWELLYN: What I was told.
[SPEAKING MANDARIN]
[FOOTSTEPS]
TEDDY: I've gathered all
of the guests, save one.
- Lawrence Collier?
- His exact words were, "Fucking hack."
- We have a history.
- I intuited that from context.
Would you like to begin questioning?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[GLASS CLINKING]
As you all know a man has
been murdered on this ship.
Killer is among us.
I've been studying each of you,
and have learned devastating facts.
♪
RUFUS: I'm sorry.
YOUNG IMOGENE: You haven't
found Viktor Sams yet.
- You aren't finished!
- But I am.
What about my mom?
- You promised!
- I should not have done that.
YOUNG IMOGENE: Don't
go. Please don't go!
Please!
[CRYING]
RUFUS: I don't like coincidences.
Trust nothing. No one.
I always work with an
assistant. Read my book.
There is a reason
that you and I are on
this ship together.
Keith Trubitsky was your assistant?
That's why you were on the
Varuna? You were working a case?
Rufus!
What case?
I think you know.
[CRYING]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: I will be questioning
you, individually.
After careful consideration,
- I would like to begin with
- I'll go first.
[MYSTERY BY WIPERS PLAYING]
You think I'm retrospective ♪
Of someone you used to know ♪
I think it's indecision ♪
That leaves us a long way to go ♪
But you say, "It's not that way" ♪
Try to make amends,
so it will never end ♪
I always tried to wonder ♪
How it must feel to be real ♪
In one door out the other ♪
Undercover, do you think it shows? ♪
But you say, "It's not that way" ♪
Try to make amends ♪
So it will never end ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
But can't you see ♪
It's a mystery ♪
♪
[SONG FADES]
- [BIKE BELL RINGS]
- [CHILD GIGGLES]
[MOTOR WHIRRS]
[BIRDS SQUAWKING]
[DOGS BARKING]
YOUNG ANNA COLLIER: Tripp, give it back!
YOUNG TRIPP COLLIER: Aw, you're
never gonna get this back.
NANNY: Tripp, leave your sister alone!
- RUFUS COTESWORTH: Pay attention.
- YOUNG ANNA: I'm gonna kill you!
- RUFUS: Details matter.
- YOUNG TRIPP: Good luck.
RUFUS: If you want to
solve a crime, any crime,
you must first learn to
see through the illusion.
KATHERINE COLLIER: She
got suspended from school.
Stole a rare book from
the library, first edition.
She's been acting out
since her mother died.
Which is completely understandable.
Maybe she'll talk to you.
LAWRENCE COLLIER: She's
like a daughter to us.
All the resources of this
family are at your disposal.
[GENTLE, MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[WHISTLES] I'm Rufus.
Must be Imogene?
[SIGHS] Huh.
I'd wager they never even play with it.
So you're the world's
greatest detective.
[CHUCKLES] Their words, not mine.
[RUFUS GRUNTS]
I'm here to help with
your mother's case.
I understand you're the only eyewitness.
I don't remember.
- [ENGINE RUMBLES]
- [EXPLOSION BLASTS]
But I wanna help.
You will.
You and me,
we're gonna help each other.
[SINGERS VOCALIZING]
RUFUS: I bet you think
it's easy, reader.
You are wrong.
Illusions are everywhere.
[WATER SLOSHING]
[QUANDO C'È LA LUNA PIENA
BY COCKI MAZZETTI PLAYING]
RUFUS: In my 30-year career, I
have learned two key lessons.
One, do not attempt to bribe
a national parks employee.
And this:
what is real is precious and rare.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Celia Chun is using this
to fuck with the offer,
but [SIGHS] she's just
bluffing. I know she wants in.
Check these upper deck bars.
These people got all your money.
Because I know.
She's on our ship drinking our booze.
She wants in, so just give
me the numbers that I want.
- Has she convinced 'em?
- Who, the board?
No, the Chuns. Don't you work for her?
As an assistant in the
marketing department,
as you remind me constantly.
You know, I keep a screengrab
of your adorable, little pay stub
- in my favorites folder.
- Yeah, I know, Tripp.
- You showed me at the holiday party.
- Mm.
ANNA: for anything under eight.
- You know that.
- IMOGENE SCOTT: She's rattled.
- TRIPP: My sister? Terrified.
- Give me the revised spreadsheet.
She's gotta lock down
this Chun money. Has to.
- Mm! Olives. Thank you.
- SERVER: Of course.
ANNA: And that's last
night, but we'll see. Okay.
Hi, sorry. Work is just
- I'm being a bad friend.
- No, it's fine.
Did you, uh, d'you fix things?
- Close that funding round?
- It's fine. Everything's fine.
Good. Well, don't worry about me.
I'm happy just freeloading as per usual.
What? Imogene, please, you're family.
Really glad you say that
because my room service bill
last night was hilarious.
Ha-ha.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
[EXHALES] Mm.
♪
- [GLASSES CLATTERING]
- GUEST: You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!
This watch is worth 50 grand! You
hear me? That's 50,000 American.
- More than you make in a fucking year!
- I'm so sorry, sir.
- I'm so sorry
- Your tip was in here. Was.
[WINNIE BREATHING HEAVILY, GASPS]
Is that your friend, Tripp?
It's my investor supposedly.
I hate that. Only a true
asshole punches down.
Somebody has to say something.
Doesn't always have to be you, though.
But I'm so good at it.
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
We get it you're a garbage person.
But what makes you think
you have to broadcast it?
Excuse me?
You're here as a guest
of the Collier family
on a billion-dollar
boat on a free vacation.
You should learn to say thank
you and shut up about the rest.
And that watch? That is an abomination.
It's not enough that people like you
need to own all the beautiful things.
Ya have to own the ugly things, too.
[SCOFFS]
Huh.
- You know what I think?
- Please. Blow my feeble mind.
[LIGHTER CLICKING]
I think you want it both ways.
I think you tell yourself
you're some kinda crusader
fightin' for the little
guy from the inside.
But the truth is, you're not an insider.
You're not somebody. You're nobody.
You're a a paid friend.
And that doesn't make
you better than them.
Makes you a hypocrite.
Tell me I'm wrong.
[COUGHING]
No, you got me pegged.
[MYSTERIOUS, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
[LOCK BEEPS, BUZZES]
♪
[GUEST SNORING]
[SNORING CONTINUES]
[GLASS SHATTERS]
♪
RUFUS: Here's a stupid
thing people love to say:
"The simplest explanation
is always correct."
[TAPE REWINDING]
RUFUS: Well I never took those cases.
I took the impossible ones,
and it made me rich
Housekeeping.
RUFUS: for a while.
You want to know how I did it?
I already told you.
Pay attention Details matter.
♪
[SCREAMS]
♪
- [CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
- [SHIP HORN BLARES]
- [SEAGULLS CALLING]
- [CHURCH BELL TOLLS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DEEP DRUM MUSIC PLAYING]
I can't believe we're gonna be
trapped on this thing for 10 days.
I'm so sorry I dragged you into this.
[BIRDS CALLING]
[LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING]
- It's okay.
- Sir!
Hey, hey, it's okay.
Hey, Larry, Larry, Larry!
Hey, man, nice digs!
[CHUCKLES] I hope she floats.
I'm Tripp's friend, Keith Trubitsky.
I wanted to thank you for the
invite. I mean what a treat!
"The world is ugly and
the people are sad."
Wallace Stevens wrote that, and
he died in 1955, the lucky fuck.
Imagine if he saw the
dumpster fire it is now.
But all that ugliness stays on shore.
When we sail these rolling waters,
we leave the real world behind.
And let me tell you who
paid for the privilege.
You all know Mr. Lawrence
Collier by name and reputation.
He sails with his wife, Katherine,
to celebrate his retirement.
Every guest aboard this
vessel is important
because every one of them is
important to Mr. Lawrence Collier.
Their daughter, Anna, is expected
to take over for her father
as CEO of Collier Mills,
but this is no simple case of nepotism.
Anna Collier is a shark.
They can't come back and
want to renege on terms
that we already signed
to. Just tell them no.
TEDDY GOH: Her wife, Leila Collier,
a retired clickbait journalist,
requested a room on the
south side of the ship
to avoid 5G contamination.
Leila has certain peculiarities.
[SLIGHT CHUCKLE]
Anna's childhood friend, Imogene Scott,
was taken in by the Collier family
after her mother's grisly murder.
Anna's older brother,
Lawrence the third, or Tripp,
- is a self-employed entrepreneur.
- Hit me.
Goddammit! Motherfucker
TEDDY: Tripp has launched
many enterprises,
all of which have failed.
What he has succeeded at is cocaine.
♪
NURSE: Here's your vitamin B12 IV drip.
TEDDY: Governor Alexandra Hochenberg
of the state of Washington
is up for reelection this fall.
She is a virtual shoo-in.
We've been working on this
deal for over a year
TEDDY: As might be expected,
the Colliers always travel
with their family lawyer.
After I got your
dipshit son into Vassar?
TEDDY: The Collier entourage
includes Father Toby Briggs,
well-known political kingmaker.
Father Toby drags along his son,
known to the world as That Derek.
Oh, yeah. These people rich.
TEDDY: That Derek is
a rising TikTok star.
What up, baddies? It's
your boy, That Derek.
Surely, in his celestial manse,
Wallace Stevens weeps for us all.
The Chun family operate a
global fast-fashion empire
overseen by matriarch Celia Chun.
Rumor has it the Chuns will announce
a sizable investment in Collier Mills
while they sail with us.
You may recognize their
personal security detail,
Rufus Cotesworth.
Once heralded as the
World's Greatest Detective,
he has been brought low by circumstance.
[RUFUS SNORING]
TEDDY: And finally, rounding
out our VIP guest list,
is Mr. Keith Trubitsky
of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Proof that money cannot buy taste,
good looks, charm or ability.
Fuck!
Our guests look to
you to transport them
to a bygone era of beauty and style.
It is a spell we cast. Do
not be the one to break it.
Dismissed.
[CREW CHATTER INDISTINCTLY]
TEDDY: Winnie, do you know what
the very best part of my job is?
Sunil lets me fire anyone I want.
You can't fire me.
Not if you don't want a
lecture from Mum at New Year's.
I worry.
There are temptations when you spend
so much time around these people.
You start to think like them,
you start to act like them.
But you can't,
because they have something that
protects them everywhere they go.
And what is that?
Money.
CREW [OVER PA]: Buongiorno,
ladies and gentlemen
[ELEVATOR DINGS, CHIMES]
[ANNOUNCEMENT CONTINUES OVER PA]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: I'm Rufus.
I'm here to help with
your mother's case.
♪
[HEAVY BREATHS]
[RECEPTIONIST SPEAKING FRENCH]
I'd like to leave a note for a guest.
I'm just not sure what room he's in.
Rufus Cotesworth?
I'm sorry, but the itinerary
of each passenger is private.
So, he's not a guest.
I didn't say that.
Who's he working for?
Oh.
Good afternoon, Ms. Scott.
What message would you like
to leave Mr. Cotesworth?
Changed my mind.
I'd like to leave a message
for whoever he's working for.
"You hired a fraud. Cut your losses."
Aren't you gonna get a pen?
- I'll remember.
- [ELEVATOR DINGS, CHIMES]
TRIPP: Hey! Hey, hey,
hey! Hey, bud. Hey.
Just got off the call with HSBC
and they said they
never received your wire.
Oh, yeah, my advisor wanted
to take one last look, so
Ah, uh-huh. Yeah, I'm
not dickin' around, 'kay?
Deadline's a deadline.
Midnight tonight or else
get in a fuckin' lifeboat,
get the fuck off the ship.
Okay, tiger. [CHUCKLES]
Give me the thing.
- The prospectus.
- Yeah, sure. I'll read it right now.
- Okay.
- 'Kay?
All right.
- Oh, is this you?
- [DOOR LOCK BEEPS]
My, my sister's right across the hall.
Fancy that.
[MOANING]
[LEILA MOANING]
[ANNA MOANS]
[YELPS]
[BOTH LAUGHING]
See, we can have fun
on this trip. [LAUGHS]
Yeah. [EXHALES]
[CHUCKLES]
I know the plane was hard for you.
- I'm just saying. Y
- [LEILA SIGHS]
You did it.
We're here now and we're safe.
Nowhere is safe, Anna.
W You didn't find
any listening devices.
We're on a ship in
the middle of the ocean
- for a whole week.
- [LEILA SIGHS]
Let's take advantage.
Swim go dancing.
Close a three billion deal.
That too.
But I will make time for us.
♪
Will your father announce you tonight?
At the welcome party.
I'll come.
Really?
Maybe we can go dancing after.
[CHUCKLING]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
You're never gonna fucking
guess who's on this ship.
Rufus Cotesworth is here, on the ship,
and he's working for the Chuns.
Private security.
The man's at the deep end
of a 20-year downslide.
- The man's a fucking hack.
- This is a message from Celia Chun.
- Yes.
- Corporate due diligence.
It doesn't mean anything.
You're missing the point.
She's trying to intimidate us.
Well, then, Katherine, don't let her.
It's not me I'm worried about.
- If he snoops around in the wrong place
- He's a fucking hack!
We have information that could bury him.
It would be mutually
assured destruction.
Still, it's bad form, and it
shows the Chuns don't trust us.
- I'm gonna talk to Eleanor.
- LLEWELLYN MATHERS: No, no.
If we look nervous, it means
we have a reason to be nervous.
We just keep it tight.
Do you even know how?
[SLIGHT CHUCKLE]
Okay, then. We stay the course.
I will not blow this deal
over Rufus fucking Cotesworth.
[TAKES DEEP BREATH]
RUFUS: I'm here to help
with your mother's case.
I understand you're the only eyewitness.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
It rained that day.
I don't know.
It rains a lot here.
It did.
There was a chill in the air.
[DISTANT THUNDER RUMBLING]
Were you wearing that?
She let me borrow it.
- She was always worried about the cold.
- [DISTANT RAINFALL]
RUFUS: [CHUCKLES] My mum was the same.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
So you were there
in the car.
Yes.
♪
What do you have there?
Imogene you stole this from Anna.
She doesn't even know what it is, Mom.
It has a secret compartment,
and she had no idea.
You mean this?
[CHUCKLES]
It's a replica of the one in the study.
Yeah, I know, 'cause Mrs. Collier
keeps her first
engagement ring in there.
You know, the one she
got from that polo player?
You see things.
Things other people don't
even bother to notice.
Anyone can have a toy. You have a gift.
You're gonna make me
put it back, aren't you?
I sure am.
♪
No.
N-No, I can't get out of the car.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[CRIES] Don't make
me get out of the car!
No! Don't! Mom, don't!
♪
[EXPLOSION BLASTS]
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [SCREAMS] No! Mom, no!
[CRIES] No!
[GASPS]
No, Mom!
[SNIFFLES] No!
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[EXHALES]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[EXHALES]
[LOCK BEEPING]
I see you.
- Hm?
- Have you been following me?
In Sydney?
In New York last month?
Hold on there. This is
the first time this Hoosier
has left the great state of Indiana.
Did you switch rooms to
spy on me and my wife?
Switch rooms? Oh, I
moved 'cause [INHALES]
last one was next to a
buncha screaming kids.
Who are you working for?
Lady, I think, maybe,
you're a little mixed up.
[LOCK BEEPS]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[LOCK BEEPS]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Pretty isn't it?
- [BARTENDER POURS DRINK]
- Yeah, it's a Gilbert Bayes.
He only made a few of these.
They must've paid a fortune
to have it installed here.
Yeah, it took three cranes.
Sunil.
I'm the, um
Oh, there's gotta be a better word
for it, but the mind disappoints.
- You own the boat.
- I do.
Mm.
You Americans never parse words.
Yeah, well, we're number
one in adult-onset diabetes,
so good with the bad.
It's incredible.
And it's real.
Down to every splinter. Yeah.
She's as real as we can
make her and still float.
You know, our rule
was, "If you can see it,
should've been made prior to 1955."
So, the glassware?
Curated from antique shops
across Ireland and Wales.
You know what was tricky?
- Hm?
- The towels.
Literally no one would
know the difference.
You did.
♪
Yeah, but they?
They don't care.
You wasted your money, friend.
GUEST: And where is your
lovely bride tonight?
Sadly, she is down with a migraine.
She sends her apologies.
She had an accident a few months ago.
I begged her to quit her job.
Now she's all alone in our
house while I'm working, and I
I don't know why I'm telling
you any of this. [CHUCKLES]
Mm.
Hey is tonight the night?
Dad does like to keep
people on their toes.
I swear to God, Anna, if
he fucks you over on this.
He's already teed it up with the board.
I'm next in line, it's
just a matter of when.
TRIPP [ON MICROPHONE]: Hey,
everyone. Hey, hi, yeah, thanks.
Uh, just wanna say thanks
so much for comin' out.
Thanks for being here
to honor my old man,
Papa Bear. [CHUCKLES]
My dad [SNIFFS]
a man with such high standards,
he wouldn't even hire his own son.
[CHUCKLING]
[GUESTS MURMUR]
Ah, anyway.
Ah, give it up for Lawrence
Collier, the second.
[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
I've always been a man of few words.
[GUESTS LAUGHING, APPLAUDING]
Mrs. Chun would be especially grateful
if you took the time to get to
know her granddaughter, Eleanor.
She's the pretty one.
SUNIL: Yes, but sadly, I believe Eleanor
prefers the company of the fairer sex.
And a stroll around the deck would
go a long way with the grandmother.
Whose pockets, may I remind
you, deep as the Mariana Trench.
LLEWELLYN: Imogene Scott.
You look just like your
mother did at that age.
Twenty-eight the best age.
Best age of all.
I'm looking forward to my 60s, actually.
Are you enjoying them?
Llewellyn, aren't you late for work?
The Hong Kong office opened an hour ago.
- Every time with this guy.
- It's embarrassing.
RUFUS: Everyone thought
that Contessa's jade necklace
had been lost forever.
There's just one thing separates
a detective like me from the rest.
I don't stop 'til I find the truth.
Motherfucker.
I swear, I never met a
case I couldn't close.
- I am I'm a braggart. I am.
- [ALL LAUGHING]
- Hey!
- Stop me, stop me if I
Tell me, how much is the Chun family
paying you to taste their food?
Who are you?
Who am I?
Have we met?
[HUFFS]
- Oh! God!
- [GUESTS GASPING]
[RUFUS GROANING]
IMOGENE: No, no! Get off me!
No, no! Stop! [GROANS]
I swear I never met her before
in my entire life. [LAUGHS]
- [GRUNTS] Stop!
- Hey, hey, hey!
No. Don't touch me.
Please, Ms. Scott,
- will you go back to your room?
- Or what?
Huh, you're gonna throw me overboard?
[IMOGENE SIGHS]
Just so you know, he deserved it.
[SPEAKS FRENCH] Évidemment.
What's your name?
Jules.
Or, uh, Jules, if you prefer.
Fine.
I won't go back in there,
but I can't call it a night.
Wouldn't be fair to the dress.
Where's the real party on this dinghy?
I'm on duty clearly.
Clearly.
[Alors On Danse by Stromae playing]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[ARTIST SINGING IN FRENCH]
Show me where you work. [PANTING]
♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[Alors On Danse by Stromae continues]
[ITEMS CLATTERING]
How was the party?
It was amazing.
Everyone asked where you were, and
my dad didn't announce me as CEO.
And Imogene decided to make a scene
and chuck a glass at
Rufus Cotesworth's head.
Probably three stitches, maybe four.
So, I screamed at the ocean for a while,
and drank grappa with
that Italian couple.
I tried.
I know you did.
Ya just looked so
fucking hot in that dress,
I wanted to show you off.
Anna,
the man across the hall.
Keith Trubitsky?
I am telling you, there
is no Keith Trubitsky.
[CHUCKLES]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[LOCK BEEPS, CLICKS]
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [SCREAMING]
♪
A bit gruesome,
and yet somehow poetic.
[SIGHS] I will take
care of it, of course.
- Wait. This is too much.
- Oh, please. I'm not paying.
The guy who is
he's not paying either.
- Corporate expense.
- Well,
you're fortunate to have such friends.
Everything has a price.
- What was yours?
- Mm I don't know.
Watching my mom's car
blow up in their driveway.
A joke.
I lost my parents, too.
Hm looks like we're both alone.
Jesus, I'm an asshole.
Um I'm sorry.
No you don't wanna
hear a sad story right now.
Mm, it's actually the only kind I like.
Can I tell you a secret?
What?
- I don't like champagne.
- [IMOGENE CHUCKLES]
- [SPEAKS FRENCH] C'est dégueulasse.
- [KNOCKS ON DOOR]
- [RAPID KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- Okay!
Jules.
JULES: What is it, Nnamdi?
Dead? Are you sure?
NNAMDI: We are, sir.
JULES: Room 534. This is Mr. Trubitsky.
[GLASS SHATTERS]
[WHISPERS] Fuck.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[NUMBER PAD BEEPING]
[BEEPING]
[EXHALES]
TEDDY: Last night, Mr. Keith
Trubitsky was murdered in his suite.
But we have taken all
the necessary precautions,
and are briefing the staff in shifts.
Our team has increased
security throughout the ship
to keep all of you and our
guests safe from further harm.
We're fortunate to have a
world-renowned detective on board,
Mr. Rufus Cotesworth.
He's been asked by Interpol
to lead the investigation
until we've docked in Palermo.
As such, none of our guests need
yet to be apprised of the situation.
Right.
Go on about your
business, shan't notice me.
[TAPE REWINDING]
♪
[MONITOR BEEPS]
[TAPE REWINDING]
[MONITOR BEEPS]
♪
[WATER RUNNING]
Jules?
[FAUCET SQUEAKS]
- Jules?
- Do you realize they sourced
vintage hand towels for
every room on this ship?
- Madness, that.
- Get out of my room.
I wouldn't do that, Ms. Scott.
- Ah, so, you do remember my name.
- [CHUCKLES] Came back to me.
Seven minutes, 23 seconds.
That's how long you were
in Mr. Trubitsky's suite.
♪
[HANGS UP RECEIVER]
I didn't kill him.
[INHALES] Interpol gets
their hands on this footage,
they will think differently.
- What do you want?
- I want to help you, Ms. Scott.
That's bullshit.
Fine.
I want the truth.
Oh, the truth?
Since when do you care about that?
Never gave up on the truth.
Truth gave up on me.
[SNICKERING]
That's so sad.
You know what?
You wanna show 'em the footage?
- [RUFUS EXHALES]
- Show them.
I can handle it.
Hm will your friend,
Anna, be so eager
to grease the wheels of justice
when she finds out you've been
skimming from the family firm?
♪
In 24 hours, Interpol
lands on this ship,
and you will be their prime
No.
Their only suspect.
Let me help.
YOUNG IMOGENE: I can't.
I'm trying to. It's just
- [SIGHS] I can't remember. I can't do this.
- RUFUS: All right, then.
We don't have to.
[RUFUS GRUNTING]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
What are you writing?
Just a story. A little
story about a purple rabbit
who only likes to eat rose petals.
No, you're not. That's gibberish.
Is it?
[CHUCKLES]
"Once upon a time,
there was a purple rabbit
who ate rose petals day and night."
- It's a code.
- That it is.
And no one can read it.
Not without the primer.
- What's a primer?
- It's like a lock.
A keyword known only to me.
And whoever else I
trust with my thoughts.
First coded word of every
message, always the same.
Your primer.
That very thing.
See?
If you knew the primer was,
say, cat.
C-A-T.
Then you get a code.
A big, um, D, Q, I.
Now you know the D becomes C,
Q becomes A, I becomes T.
From there, you can get to
work decoding the whole mess.
How?
I use something called
frequency analysis.
Some letters are more
common than others.
Vowels, for instance.
You know what the most common
vowel in the English language is?
- "Truth."
- It's E.
No. "Truth."
That's your primer.
It's at the front of
every one of your messages.
The same letter in the
first and fourth place.
Not a vowel, a consonant.
T it's "truth."
Hm.
Perhaps I should be working for you.
[RUFUS CHUCKLES]
[RETCHES, COUGHING]
What am I doing here again?
RUFUS: I always work with an assistant.
- Read my book.
- [IMOGENE SIGHS]
RUFUS: It's a classic
locked-room murder.
No way in or out.
Yeah, well, I got in.
Aside from the door, windows
are hermetically sealed,
the floor is It's a floor.
We have surveillance that shows
no one came in or out
of the place all night,
present company excluded.
He's been dead four, maybe five hours,
based on the way the blood
is pooled in his extremities.
Wait, so it couldn't have been me.
I was here at, like, 2 a.m.
Let me show you.
Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.
2:16.
I was here at 2:16. I can prove it.
We can show this to Interpol.
It's a start but it's not enough.
The real question is,
who would want Mr. Keith Trubitsky dead?
♪
Wait, do you smell that?
[SNIFFS] Two,
maybe three Mai Tais.
- Smoked salmon chaser.
- No, not
It's disinfectant.
Housekeeping was in here working
before they found Trubitsky.
Trampling my crime scene, no doubt.
Who knows what else she saw.
We must speak to the housekeeper.
[SPEAKING CANTONESE]
She didn't see anything.
Hm.
No, she said a lot more than that.
What? He always works with
an assistant. Read his book.
And that's you?
If she remembers
anything of consequence,
I'll be sure to inform you immediately.
Thank you.
Are you serious?
You're just gonna let her
push you around like that?
Housekeeper doesn't know anything.
And Ms. Goh is simply being
protective of her aunt.
In fact a not insignificant
amount of the crew are her relations.
And you speak Cantonese.
[SOFTLY] I dabble.
[SOFTLY] Dabble elsewhere.
Very well but the truth
will come out sooner or later.
And I prefer sooner as I like a nap.
♪
Hey, hey! What was that?
Huh? Why didn't you
press the housekeeper?
She didn't say anything.
She doesn't know anything.
No, that's bullshit.
They're hiding something.
Everyone on this ship
is hiding something.
Doesn't mean it's the
thing you're looking for.
Okay, but wait. No, hey, wait, wait.
You don't think it's a bit weird?
You and me, separated for 20 years.
All of a sudden, we're floating
around on some preposterous vacation
in the middle of nowhere,
and some asshole gets himself murdered.
- You don't like coincidences.
- Coincidences are just dressed-up clues.
Hm. Read my autobiography.
Yeah, I skimmed your stupid book.
♪
Oh, you know something
bigger is going on.
That's why you don't wanna
ask too many questions
in front of the staff.
That's why you cut out that
footage? That's why you came to me?
We can rely
only on ourselves.
We have no idea
who could be a part of
whatever this is.
[SIGHS] Okay.
- So, what now?
- Now we get to the fun part.
Get to figure out who's
messin' with us. Let's go.
What next?
I close the door
put the key card down.
No, no, no. No, I put it on the table.
Uh, the room is a wreck.
Uh, there's ketchup
stains on the carpet.
Shirt was on a chair, pink guayabera.
- No, no.
- [WHOOSH]
IMOGENE: No, it was green.
It's a green guayabera.
Mm I don't know. I don't know. I
Oh! Why can't I think?
Bog standard.
Memory is malleable.
Most witnesses distort the
truth without even realizing it.
Trust nothing. [WHISPERS] No one.
Especially yourself.
♪
[GLASSES RATTLE ON CART]
Wait.
No, I'm, I'm right, it was
green, but it wasn't on a chair.
There was a bar cart in the room
and it's not up there anymore.
[EXHALES]
Holy shit, that-that's
how they got in and out.
- Possibly.
- No, definitively.
Then the killer knows
something about you, too.
They were hiding in Trubitsky's suite.
They saw you make a hash of
his timepiece, nick 600 quid.
If you see this through,
it is possible that
you will be in danger,
that you already are.
Okay, so, so, if No, if
they rode out in the cart,
where'd, where'd they go? Where'd
they get off? Who saw them?
- I can talk to the staff.
- No, you don't trust the staff.
♪
I know what to do.
[EMPLOYEE WHISTLING]
♪
♪
Enjoy the ride, did ya?
IMOGENE: Cart stopped four
times. Twice on deck four.
Housekeeper dropped empty plates,
but the doors were
open into those suites,
so, killer could've
slipped into a room, maybe.
More likely, they got off here
[WHISPERING] 'cause there's no cameras.
Bit addictive, isn't it?
That feeling rushing through you.
[RUFUS CHUCKLES]
You know, I think we should
go back to the security room.
There's gotta be footage of
Wait, you've already
been to the security room.
You already saw the
cart get wheeled out.
You already knew everything
that I have just quote,
unquote "figured out."
I had a hunch.
What the fuck, man?
It's more fun when you
unravel it yourself.
I'm out.
Wait, I'm sorry. I tr I tried
[SIGHS] Imogene.
You're good at this.
You've always been good at this.
Even when you were 10 years old,
I could see
you had a gift.
Was that before or after you
spent all the Colliers' money
and then dropped my mom's case?
You think that's what happened?
Soon as they stopped paying, you quit.
It's more complicated than that.
I was a kid,
and you made me believe
you were on my side.
I was.
I am.
And you were right.
There is a reason
that you and I are
on this ship together.
What reason is that?
I'm still trying to put
the final piece in place.
You know, I think I've
played your games long enough.
Then go.
Sleepwalk your way into the grave.
You will not leave a mark
on this world if you do.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
I have a name Viktor Sams.
Does that mean anything to you?
LAWRENCE: No Should it?
I traced components of the
device that blew in your driveway.
Various parts purchased
by a Viktor Sams.
Likely an alias.
Three months on this case and
all you have is a fake name?
- Not a fake, sir. An alias.
- [LAWRENCE SIGHS]
RUFUS: Question now is whose.
Well, I don't have a goddamn clue, do I?
[FOOTSTEPS RETREATING]
RUFUS: I know you're in there.
Viktor Sams? That's who killed my mom?
Now we just need to unmask him.
I'll see this through no matter what.
I promise.
Jules?
[SIGHS]
SUNIL: He's workin' the Gallipoli event.
Um thanks.
I know that look.
You wanna punch somethin' or someone?
What are you even doing here?
It'd bore you. [CHUCKLES]
Uh, it's numbers-matching
Chris Craft engine.
Right nightmare to
maintain, but it sounds good.
Right, so this is why you're single.
You're in love with your toys.
Who said I was single?
Well, you cut your
hair, day before we left?
Lost 10 pounds, recently.
Hopin' to meet someone.
Or she broke your heart.
She liked me better as a banker.
Oh.
- She was a bitch.
- [BOTH CHUCKLING]
No, I
I wasn't any fun.
And I was angry.
I hated the whole ugly world.
Yeah, well, it's perfectly hate-able.
It is.
So, I quit and I put everything
I own into making that ship,
into making somethin'
perfect, somethin' real.
Are you happy now?
[INHALES] I have a purpose.
I know, it's it's a bit
odd. It's hard to explain,
but I,
I think it all found me.
I just had to step onto the path.
And leave your mark.
Yeah, exactly.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GENTLE, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: Pay attention. Details matter.
If you want to solve a crime, any crime,
you must first learn to
see through the illusion.
But you'll never succeed
with just one pair of eyes.
That's why I always
work with an assistant.
To dig out the truth behind every lie.
To wake you from a week-long drunk,
if need be.
To sort the run-of-the-mill
liar from the prime suspect.
Murdered in his stateroom
via harpoon gun, apparently.
Wait, Keith Trubitsky. Are ya sure?
LLEWELLYN: What I was told.
[SPEAKING MANDARIN]
[FOOTSTEPS]
TEDDY: I've gathered all
of the guests, save one.
- Lawrence Collier?
- His exact words were, "Fucking hack."
- We have a history.
- I intuited that from context.
Would you like to begin questioning?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[GLASS CLINKING]
As you all know a man has
been murdered on this ship.
Killer is among us.
I've been studying each of you,
and have learned devastating facts.
♪
RUFUS: I'm sorry.
YOUNG IMOGENE: You haven't
found Viktor Sams yet.
- You aren't finished!
- But I am.
What about my mom?
- You promised!
- I should not have done that.
YOUNG IMOGENE: Don't
go. Please don't go!
Please!
[CRYING]
RUFUS: I don't like coincidences.
Trust nothing. No one.
I always work with an
assistant. Read my book.
There is a reason
that you and I are on
this ship together.
Keith Trubitsky was your assistant?
That's why you were on the
Varuna? You were working a case?
Rufus!
What case?
I think you know.
[CRYING]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
RUFUS: I will be questioning
you, individually.
After careful consideration,
- I would like to begin with
- I'll go first.
[MYSTERY BY WIPERS PLAYING]
You think I'm retrospective ♪
Of someone you used to know ♪
I think it's indecision ♪
That leaves us a long way to go ♪
But you say, "It's not that way" ♪
Try to make amends,
so it will never end ♪
I always tried to wonder ♪
How it must feel to be real ♪
In one door out the other ♪
Undercover, do you think it shows? ♪
But you say, "It's not that way" ♪
Try to make amends ♪
So it will never end ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
You don't care about it ♪
But can't you see ♪
It's a mystery ♪
♪
[SONG FADES]
- [BIKE BELL RINGS]
- [CHILD GIGGLES]
[MOTOR WHIRRS]