Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

1
I need to speak to the person
who is assigned to my daughter's file.
She thinks she has harmed
someone with her mind.
If I knew who my parents were,
maybe I would understand what happened.
It's just hard to believe
this is my patient.
They don't like it
when her shot is late.
I told you not to encourage him.
Uncle Cortland. And such
a delightful surprise.
That baby's coming.
She will change your life forever.
Carlotta!
This baby can never
ever know who she is.
Who is going to keep my daughter safe?
I will keep your daughter safe.
Shh. Hush now.
Elderberry.
Pennyroyal.
Hawthorn.
Lady's Mantle.
Burdock.
Salvia.
- South Bay Adoption Agency.
- Hello. Hi.
I was hoping to speak to
someone about an adoption.
Are you a prospective parent?
No, uh, it's actually
it's about my own adoption.
My adoptive mother has just died,
and I j I guess I just
thought I should tell someone,
just in case maybe it changes something.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,
but what were you hoping to change?
I don't know, I it's
just, my my mother
had been trying to help
me find my birth parents,
and she contacted you guys
several times about, uh,
the release of my records
about my adoption back in 1991.
- 1991.
- Yes.
It was a closed adoption.
Not at this agency, it wasn't.
What? You w uh
you mean I can see my records?
What I mean is that we weren't
facilitating adoptions in 1991.
Our agency didn't open until 1995.
That's not
No no, my mother and I
discussed South Bay Adoption many times.
She drove me by your offices.
This is d I mean, she
told me the story every year.
I'm sorry, there must have
been some misunderstanding.
Hello?
Do you remember I promised you once
that your life would change,
that everything would be better?
- I remember.
- Ah.
That change is coming, my love.
I found her, your daughter.
She's alive.
She's in a place as dark as this one.
I want to see her.
I need to see her.
Then you need to wake
up and take control.
Use the power that's rightly yours.
Do you hear me?
Wake up.
Wake up.
Wake up.
All right. Open up, now. Don't fuss.
Open.
Deirdre?
Are you okay?
In the meantime, a really calm
and cooler start to the week,
with temperatures in the lower 70s.
The charred body of
a 32-year-old woman
was discovered on the outskirts
of Phoenix this morning.
Sources say her hands
and feet were bound
before she was doused with
gasoline and set aflame.
If you have any information
regarding this case,
please contact your
local police department.
Detectives cannot offer any
other information at this
Hi. It's Rowan.
I, uh I just checked the schedule
for today, and I'm not on it.
Can you see what the the mistake is?
Oh.
Okay. Yeah.
Yeah, I'll talk to him.
Oh, sh
You know, after I lost my father,
I'm not ashamed to admit
it took me a couple of weeks
to remember which end
of the scalpel was up.
With all due respect,
I've done six procedures since Monday,
all positive outcomes.
Yeah, I looked at those tapes.
On average, your patients
had been under anesthesia
1.3 times longer than
they were in the past.
It's a significant increase.
That's still faster than
anyone else on the team.
You're not on your game, Rowan.
Let yourself take a break.
Please, Dr. Keck.
Just tell me what I need to
do to get back on the rotation.
Two floors up.
Dr. Davis on the psych team.
She gives you the all-clear,
you're back in business.
I'm just gonna ask you a few questions.
You can answer as long
or as short as you like.
Ask away.
How are you sleeping?
Good. Pretty good, you know.
And emotionally?
Are you feeling anxious, volatile?
Any mood swings?
I'd I'd have to say no.
You lost your mother two weeks ago.
Yet you haven't missed a day of work.
Honestly, um, I'm at my
best when I'm working.
And that's why I'm hoping
you'll let me get back to it soon.
I'm hoping so too, Rowan.
Tell me, what is it about work
that makes you feel better?
Healing people.
Nothing feels better than that.
I agree.
That's what I like
about being a doctor too.
You've been through a
great deal of trauma,
and there's nothing wrong
with acknowledging that.
I have acknowledged it.
I was at my mother's grave
yesterday, and I cried.
Is that what you want to hear?
That's one way to grieve.
Talking is another.
Tell me about Daniel Lemle.
- Who?
- Daniel Lemle?
It says you were present when he died.
Why is that in my work file?
Did Keck put that in there?
Tell me what's upsetting you.
What's upsetting me is,
his death had nothing to do with me.
But you were there.
You witnessed it. That
must have been hard.
I see death every day.
In a hospital, sure.
In a controlled setting, not
unexpectedly when you ugh!
Are you okay?
Oh, Jesus.
I get these all the time. Just
Give me a second.
Sorry.
Right.
I'm just imagining that
even for a seasoned
surgeon like yourself
Fuck.
Rowan.
Rowan!
Rowan!
This way.
Rowan, this way.
Mom! I'm coming!
Rowan, over here.
Mom! No! Wait!
No! Mom! Don't leave!
Where are you going?
Rowan.
Mom.
I don't know, Samir.
I'm really struggling with this one.
She needs to know who she is.
Until we know more about her,
our job is to observe.
I have observed, and
she's scared as hell.
She's lost in the woods.
Sip, she killed someone.
Before the Talamasca found me,
I was ready to kill someone too.
It was like everything I
touched was screaming at me.
My own mother said I was the devil.
And her mother spent 30 years
trying to keep her out of New Orleans.
You tell her who she is now,
she'll be on the first plane here.
Is that what you want?
- Would it be worse?
- We don't know.
What we do know is that many women
in that family have been haunted,
their lives cut short,
and we couldn't
Again, that seems like
something she should know,
if only to protect herself.
She shouldn't have to protect herself.
That's why you're there. Right?
Right.
What's happening?
I think you must be waking up.
Do you remember the
hospital? Electroshock?
You didn't even know your
name, but you found me.
I used those words, the
ones my mother taught me.
Try to remember them.
Quick, before I'm gone.
Wonderful.
Here you are.
Whoa, whoa.
Sit. Sit.
Don't worry, I have a lawyer who
specializes in familial situations.
He's supposed to be very good.
Can he get me out of here?
It might take some time.
Maybe a few weeks, perhaps a month.
I need to think of an excuse
for him to come see you.
Thank you for your
kindness, Doctor, but no.
I can't wait that long.
Ticktock, yes?
It's time she retire for the evening.
Just administering the shot now.
You need to be patient.
Hey!
Why are you following me?
I'm not a threat.
Who are you?
Are you the guy with the SUV?
My name is Ciprien Grieve.
Is Keck paying you?
No. Who's Keck?
Look, let's go somewhere
where we can talk in private.
I will explain everything.
Just stay don't.
Please. I'm not gonna hurt you.
You don't know what I'm capable of.
I know more about you than you think.
- No.
- Please wait!
Come on. Come on.
Come on.
Thanks for helping, Doc.
You might have saved him.
Uh
And up.
Okay.
Sorry, you gotta follow
behind. Hospital policy.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
I'll meet you there.
Sir, wait.
Hey!
Where's the patient?
- The guy from the beach?
- Yeah.
We tried to admit him, but he
just ripped out his IV and ran.
What?
Seemed like he was in a
hurry to get somewhere.
Ladies and gentlemen, this
is your captain speaking.
We're presently flying at
35,000 feet on our flight
from San Francisco to New Orleans.
We're expecting a smooth flight
and anticipate an on-time arrival
at Louis Armstrong
International Airport.
We hope you enjoy the flight.
My love.
I haven't even left this room,
and I'm already tired.
I will give you strength.
Now rest. We'll leave in the morning.
What if it's too late?
It won't be.
She's coming to us.
I've been in her dreams
leading her here.
You're more beautiful
now than you've ever been.
You recall when we had
that family of raccoons
living in the walls, all those
noisy little babies Mr.
Statler had to put down?
It sounded just like the sounds I heard
coming from your room last night.
Mm-hmm.
Delphine, where is my raincoat?
Uh, should be by the door.
Well, I know where it should be.
It's coming up a storm.
Same day as our guild meeting.
The Lord has a plan,
but I sure don't know it.
Here you go.
I do not trust that Dr. Lamb.
His people are from Boston.
When he comes this afternoon,
I want you to keep your eyes on him.
- Yes, ma'am.
- And fetch Deirdre a sweater.
- Poor thing'll catch a chill.
- Okay.
Miss Deirdre?
Please.
And you remember Margaret Kirby.
- Absolutely.
- Yes.
- Yes.
- So she worked very hard.
Hi.
Um, Rowan Fielding checking in.
Yes.
Looks like we have you in room 1003.
Great.
First time in New
Orleans, Miss Fielding?
Dr. Fielding.
And yes.
Spirits gravitate to historic
buildings like this one,
and hotels in particular
are vectors for the dead.
Here are your room keys.
- Two of them, just in case.
- Thank you.
Hey, um,
I know this is a little
weird and a long shot,
but, um, do you recognize this house?
Uh, that house
rings no bells.
Okay.
Thank you.
- Enjoy your stay
- Thanks.
Doctor.
Thank you.
Deirdre?
It can't be!
It's really you!
Uncle Cortland.
When they told me you were at the door,
I thought, "Why, am I dreamin'?"
My God, look at you!
After all these years.
We both got old, didn't we?
It's not right,
the way she kept you like that.
Oh, I should have never let you go.
I need your help.
Well, whatever I can do, I will.
But, uh
uh
where is he?
After all this time, I still never know.
Ah.
Well, what matters is that you're here.
You're here!
So let's get you cleaned up, hmm?
Come on.
When you see me ♪
Walking around ♪
When you see him ♪
Walking around ♪
When you see me ♪
Creeping around ♪
Hey. Hi. You're a tour guide, right?
Next one's at 5:00. We
meet at the front desk.
No. Well, maybe.
But I was just wondering,
do you know this place?
Oh, um, that's
I I got hers, and I'll
have one for me, please.
Yes.
- Yeah?
- It's the old Mayfair house.
The May Mayfair?
It's not on the tour anymore.
Family paid to have it taken off.
Okay.
What do you know about about it?
- Thank you.
- Oh, all kinds of things.
Parties at the turn of the
century that went on for days,
murders, disappearances, ghosts.
- Ghosts.
- Oh, heck yeah.
There's ghosts
everywhere in New Orleans.
But really, that house
is famous for its witches.
Sorry, what?
Witches, vampires, demons.
Oh, honey, we make up all
kinds of hooey on these tours.
Folks slop it up with a biscuit.
Do you think maybe you could,
uh, take a little detour
and point that house out to me?
- Tour leaves at 5:00.
- Great.
- Bye.
- See me creeping around ♪
When you see him ♪
Oh, there she is.
Oh, such a pretty thing.
You know, that is my
daughter's old dress.
When I was a child, you used to buy me
dresses just like this
every year for my birthday.
Do you remember?
Of course. Of course.
Someone had to.
Carlotta had you in
those hideous old sacks.
And every year, no
matter where I hid them,
she would find those dresses
and slice them up with kitchen shears.
It's almost worse than
never having them at all.
Hmm.
You know, I can't imagine
all you have been through.
- Hmm.
- My daughter's alive.
Alive?
Are you sure, now?
Lasher's seen her.
How could this happen?
Carlotta stole her from me,
hid her away.
But she's grown up,
and she's coming here.
Oh, well, the two of you
will have to stay here.
I'll have rooms prepared.
Thank you.
Wh where is she?
He's going to show me.
Mi Daemon, ad me veni.
Mi Daemon, mihi labora.
Mi Daemon, me libera.
Mi Daemon, ad me veni.
Mi Daemon, mihi labora.
Mi Daemon, me libera.
Mi Daemon, ad me veni.
Mi Daemon, mihi labora.
Mi Daemon, me libera!
Yes. Yes!
No!
She's already here.
I'll have my driver take you.
- Hello?
- I need to see you right away.
You're alive.
A little shaken up, but yeah, I'm alive.
Who are you?
Why do you have pictures
of me on your phone?
My name is Ciprien Grieve.
I work for an organization
called the Talamasca.
Your mother, Ellie,
she reached out to us.
She wanted me to protect you.
So she knew who I was but
she didn't want me to know?
What that why
why would she do that?
She thought she was helping you.
Please, I I will explain everything
once you're somewhere safe.
Why should I believe you?
'Cause I know what you're capable of,
and I can help you control it.
I I don't understand
anything that's happening to me.
I haven't for a long time now.
I know the feeling.
The man who taught me about my gift
told me this story about a man
who had been wandering
lost in the woods.
And one day, he saw another
man who was also lost.
He said, "Let's go together."
Second man said, "Why
should I go with you?"
First man answered,
"Because I can show you
which ways didn't work for me,
and you can show me which
ways didn't work for you.
Together, we'll find our way."
I'll be in the lobby of the
Pontchartrain in five minutes.
But you probably already knew that.
I'll be there.
Not being critical, but
Margaret Kirby was able
Deirdre?
Deirdre.
Deirdre, I don't know what is happening,
but I am taking you home.
I'm not coming home with you.
Oh, yes, you are.
- Who did this to you? Was it that Dr. Lamb?
- Let go of me.
You are not keeping me from my daughter.
Oh, sweetheart.
Sweetheart.
Your daughter is long dead,
and you are a sick,
sick, sick little bird.
You understand that if I'm awake now,
so is he.
It's you.
Come with me. We'll go to the house.
You'll be safer there.
What are you gonna do?
There is a being.
He might start to visit you.
They call him Lasher.
He's close to me somehow.
I'm sure you'll find a way in.
It's a murder investigation.
God forgive you.
She's a witch.
You remember, I promised you once
that your life would change.
That everything would be better.
- I remember.
- Yeah.
That change is coming, my love.
So, this episode is
called "The Dark Place,"
and that was really
the phrase that we used
in the writer's room when we
were talking about the space
in Dierdre's mind that she
lives and inhabits with Lasher.
I found your daughter.
She's alive.
For 30 years, Dierdre
has been in a stupor,
and, so, her only real activity has been
to be inside her own mind
in conversation with Lasher.
I need to see her.
Then you need to wake
up and take control.
Use the power that's readily yours.
Both Dierdre and Rowan
are in this dark place,
and the journey of the
episode is to watch them move
closer and closer to each other.
Are you okay?
Rowan is in this very, very dark place.
She has done this monstrous thing.
She has killed this man,
and she's trying to understand
that, and to cope with that.
But she's such a guarded person
that she's never gonna
let on that she isn't fine.
You've been through a
great deal of trauma,
and there's nothing wrong
with acknowledging that.
I have acknowledged it.
We see that she's
absolutely falling apart.
Fuck.
Rowan.
And, of course, Ciprien sees this.
He is pushing at the Talamasca
to be allowed to tell Rowan her story.
It seems like something she should know.
If only to protect herself.
She shouldn't have to protect herself.
That's why you're there, right?
Rowan is convinced that
she's being followed
because of what happened with Lemle.
Her suspicion is that somebody
has a private eye following her
trying to see what she's
doing, what she's done.
Hey!
Why are you following me?
And when Ciprien steps out,
she knows that she could hurt him.
She knows that she's not in any danger.
I'm not a threat. Who are you?
She's not sure how to
control what happens,
but I don't thing she's
afraid for herself.
She's scared of what she
could do to other people.
I will explain everything.
Just stay Don't
Please, I'm not gonna hurt you.
You don't know what I'm capable of.
I know more about you
than you think. Just
Pease, wait!
I'll meet you there.
Who was this person?
Why are these images on the phone?
She's more confused than ever,
but she also has her first clue.
Ciprien's gone ahead in
the ambulance, so it's like,
I've gotta get back to him and ask him.
She has to have an answer.
And, of course, when
she gets to the hospital,
he's not there.
You know, I can't imagine
all you have been through.
My daughter's alive.
Lasher's seen her.
Cortland is very surprised
that Rowan is alive.
How could this happen?
Carlotta stole her from me.
Hid her away.
It really is a mystery
to everyone in the family
that Dierdre's daughter has survived.
Where is she?
He's going to show me.
I really wanted to have a
moment where we se Dierdre
as a full, powerful woman and witch.
Where we get to see what Dierdre
would have been her whole life
if she got to inhabit
her full witchy power.
And now, for the first time, she does.
She summons Lasher.
She sends him out to find Rowan,
and then she sees through his eyes
and is able to find her daughter.
She's already here!
I was trying to think how
can we have them connect
and then have it all vanish.
And that hallway and that elevator
felt absolutely perfect to the moment.
Part of Rowan's journey into the family
is to understand who her mother was,
to understand her mother's death.
And this seemed like an
extraordinarily symbolic
way to do it.
Part the curtain again,
have them meet each other for a moment,
and then have it all fall apart.
It's you.
Ahh!
Ahh! Ahhhh!