Eternal Law (2011) s01e03 Episode Script

Who is she, Zak? Hannah.
I knew her in a past life.
I'll tell you what love is.
Waiting for a man who never showed up.
Don't get involved.
Don't sleep with them.
Don't kill them.
I told him I wanted to give it all up to live as a human.
Can I help you? I want to go home! Tell Mack I need to go home.
Yes, Margaret? Joe Barlow's very distressed, Mr Cedric.
Should we offer him a sedative? Perhaps you should pop up.
A sedative's fine.
I'm busy.
Right, boys and girls, let's be having you.
Joe, time to pick a fight with management.
So with our closure here at the Douglas, our new home Gracenote will be ready to provide a country club ethos, with excellent clinical care.
Judas Iscariot! Excuse me.
Mack? This really isn't the time.
You didn't come to see us, so we have come to see you! Judas! Look, I've said that there will be new placements for everyone.
But I've also said there are some tough choices to make.
You've been hiding till there was no going back, you snivelling prat! Not you, Joe.
You'll not kick us out of our homes.
You got the guts for a war? Cos that's what it is! This is my home too.
And I will not be bullied.
If you carry on like this, Mack, I'll split you and Joe up.
You'll never see him again.
Is that clear? It's all right, I've got this, mate.
Good evening, sir.
'Whenever humans are in trouble, that's where you'll find them.
' 'They may be tinkers or tailors, soldiers or sailors, nurses or bin men or strangers in the street.
' 'Perhaps even and this is hard to believe, I know lawyers.
' 'They're here to help, to comfort, to guide.
' A d d i c 7 e d No! Gus, leave it, no! Is it worth it? Some half-remembered argument? Look up.
The cosmos is your canopy.
Wait a minute.
Hey, guys! Youah You temp at chambers, don't you? You're vibrating.
No, it's my mobile phone, it vibrates.
Hello? 'Tom, the police need a brief.
' 'Get your weird self to the station and meet the custody sergeant.
' 'An old man's just been accused of poisoning.
'OK.
Thank you.
You ain't half got some rubbish in this place.
Sorry.
He's got no family.
The police won't grant bail unless I find him somewhere to go.
Mr Steen, shall we have a chat? You want chat? Tickety-boo.
Oprah, Jeremy, Trisha all on right now.
I won't, if you don't mind.
I know what hell feels like already.
Please, Mr Steen.
Call me Mack.
Bloody tarmacker, see.
The black stuff.
40 years.
We need to talk about what you did to Keith Cedric.
I weren't gonna kill the little prick.
He just got me mad.
What did he do? Well, the point is, he doesn't like me.
You've been at the Douglas six years, and since Mr Cedric announced the closure For this money-spinner over in Leeds, Gracenote.
And what happens to us? Farmed out to other homes like cattle.
The other homes might be nicer.
Cos we're old farts, we're happy so long as there's soup and Noel Edmonds on the telly? Weeds, in a pot.
Left on the back step for me to break my neck on.
My weeds, thank you, Mrs Sheringham.
All right, pet? Nice arse.
Look, I poured pills into Cedric's grub and he bloody deserved it.
Got a bladder like a barrage balloon.
Need to point it at the porcelain.
It's like having Ned Sherrin to stay, isn't it? This Keith Cedric has kicked up a bit of a fuss.
Mr Steen is being charged with ABH.
A Section 47? That's a bit harsh.
So if he pleads guilty to ABH, we get him a suspended sentence.
Why has Mr Mountjoy sent us this charming older gentleman? Some seem to think he's a hero around here.
But personally, I think Mack Steen is a bully.
Based on the police statement, we'll have no trouble convicting for ABH.
What's that for? Did I miss something? So this is Mr Mountjoy's great mission, an unrepentant old man with yellow fingers? Maybe he wants Mack to find repentance.
The prodigal grandpa? A bit obvious, but I can see it tickling him.
Hey, Tom.
Hiya.
'Hiya'? She works in chambers.
What? You found a little friend? Would she like to come for tea? Shut up.
Better idea.
Let's check out this nirvana Mack's fighting for.
Hiya.
Cedric wants to up the charge.
Richard, you can't.
The Warfarin only caused minor ulcerations.
Doesn't matter.
I have a tame haematologist who will play ball.
Let's settle for ABH.
Hello, sir.
Could I ask you to move your deckchair? I need to get out.
Isn't that the thing about the elderly? So self-centred.
Three things never stop growing: Hair, nails and ego.
Your boss is used to poison cases.
Part of Crippen's defence team.
If they'd listened to me, he would've walked.
Come on, sir, time to go.
We shall not be moved.
Mack has to fight tooth and nail to get things done round here.
Mr Cedric Before Mack came, it was well Now we're like a ship of friends.
All on one last voyage.
And you're the belle of the ocean.
Is Mack coming home to us? Tickety-boo.
So what's that you're writing? A book.
Is that what they call it, chick-lit, is it? Heaven, Hell And Court: A History of Morality and the Law.
Damn! I forgot to post this.
That's the second time this week.
Old memory box letting you down? What I do tie a piece of string round my finger.
You need a pot plant in here or a Matisse on the wall or something.
Sorry, Zak Gist.
Defence Counsel for Mr Steen.
Actually, this house was always very free of clutter.
Even when I was a lad.
You grew up here? So, Douglas, is that an old family name? There used to be a Douglas fir out the front.
Good climbing tree.
The tree of dreams one climbed as a boy.
So you turned it into a care home? I thought I'd bring my experience to bear in the private sector.
I used to be an NHS manager.
Yes, one of those.
We should continue this in court.
And is that what you really want? I want Mack Steen out of my life.
Mack! These shoes need doing first.
Mack! Mack! Where is he? Do you polish Mack's shoes for him? What is all this? Where is he? It's all right.
You'll be OK.
It's dementia.
Is he with you? It was horrible.
Pain and confusion that strong.
It really hit you.
Can we go now? Plead guilty to ABH, get a suspended sentence.
It's a formality.
The defendant will stand and confirm name and address.
Let's do it, girlfriend.
With the approval of the CPS, Prosecution recommend a new charge.
What? That of attempted murder.
Hold your horses! He's a pensioner! Thank you, Mr Gist.
I'll see both counsel in my chambers.
Great.
Nice one.
Get it now.
Cheers.
Tom.
What do I get for attempted murder? The rest of your life.
abracadabra, not guilty to attempted murder.
See, this pharmacology report says you didn't have enough Warfarin to kill a man but you did still empty out the whole pot.
Tickety-boo.
No, not tickety-boo.
Prosecution will say you emptied that pot hoping to kill him.
What was life like under Keith Cedric? Was it oppressive? He's cold, like a gravestone.
Cedric lacks empathy with residents? The point is, Cedric sees it as a bank account, one he's decided to close.
Now, I fight for those who can't fight for theirselves.
I've fought all my life.
Not afraid of a scrap, me.
You're a crusader.
Proper superhero, son.
I can even fly, me.
Really? Me too.
Do you want me to get a message to your friend, Joe? He seemed upset.
No, he's loco Alzheimer's.
OK.
Our angle is, you're campaigning against a cynical businessman? Mack? There's cruelty in Keith Cedric.
Some folk, you just know.
What are you doing, Tom? Thing is, old people always act like there's another law for them.
Loneliness, madness and the telly on so loud.
Do you ever worry about getting old? No.
These days you don't get old till you're, like, 90.
Is that a good thing, people living in these decaying bodies? My gran's 79, she says she still feels 30.
I don't even wanna feel 30.
All right there, you slob? Who's that, your mum? He's safely back at the house snoring like a trooper.
Zak, he's not a well man.
If we don't get him off this, he won't survive long in prison.
I'm aware of that.
Here's your diary.
What's that on your finger? Nothing.
Maybe we should just plead guilty.
Maybe Mr Mountjoy doesn't care.
We're in one of those moods, are we? Look, a four-leafed clover, Mrs S.
So rare that finding one is considered good luck.
The lawn's full of them.
Is he losing interest? Mr Mountjoy hasn't given up on this place.
So who the hell are you to? You still defend the boss, after what he did to you? I asked for a human life, with all the joy and misery that entails.
He did nothing to me except give me what I wanted.
You have to ask yourself what it is you want.
My very own stalker.
I was waiting for you, actually.
But you caught me off guard.
Richard's adamant.
The callous nature of the crime, the premeditation, and the fact that the victim wants a custodial.
Attempted murder.
Mack's stubborn and he made a big mistake.
But a murderer, he isn't.
He's old and sick.
Prison at 82 is like executing him.
How are you at packing crates? My new flat looks like the warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones.
Boxes and boxes.
I think you've been saddled with a hopeless case.
Hopeless cases are my speciality.
What? Did I spill a vol au vent on you at a party in Norwich? It would be the most interesting thing to happen to me in Norwich.
OK, I'll drop it.
But we've met.
Come over and help me unpack? Mates now, remember.
I'll take a rain check.
Right, well Richard can help me, then.
It seems he's the only friend I've got in this city.
I'll I want you go through the list we've subpoenaed, residents' families.
See if anyone's filed a complaint against Cedric in the past.
These NHS bigwigs usually drag some official complaints round with them.
The internet is so sad.
All these people desperate to talk, like this woman.
"I'm lonely, call me.
" Tom? 'Tom!' Sorry, yes.
We're looking to see if he ever took against any other residents.
Mack said there was cruelty in him.
If we can damage his character in court, we have a slim chance.
I'll see what I can dig up at the Public Records Office.
New company, Cedric Insurance.
Mr Frederick Howells, Mr John Burrows, Mr Victor Cedric Master Keith Cedric.
The tree of dreams one climbed as a boy.
Cedric's mum died when he was a kid.
His father packed him off to boarding school for a taste of science, sodomy and the lash.
So a miserable childhood.
The making of half the prime ministers this country's ever had.
It seems he was controlled as a boy by an overbearing father, but nothing we can use to paint him as the villain in this.
I assume all you got was the address of a prostitute in Shipley.
Are we about to These women, selling themselves He's opened the drinks cabinet.
Is it all bloody vino? Where's the bloody ales? If he touches the 15-year-old Glenlivet, I'll kill him.
I'llh grab some ice cream.
Coffee or vanilla? Do they hurt? They ache sometimes.
And how did they remove them? With a blade.
Coffee or vanilla? I don't get it.
Old age.
I think growing old makes more sense if you're doing it with someone.
But you went through all that pain for someone and then he just he just died.
It doesn't change what we did have.
Mrs Sheringham, do you ever miss home? I'll tell you what it's like to live a life.
Every day, the things you carry with you get a bit heavier.
That doesn't sound very good.
It depends on what you're carrying.
And some people don't like to unpack.
I'm glad you're all right.
I'm right there.
Mack? Tom? Joe.
It's me, pal, it's Mack.
Mack! I'll get them shoes.
Shoes can keep.
I'm worried about you.
How you coping, big man? Come here.
Nothing's gonna break us.
I've been so scared without you, Mack.
I'll keep fighting for both of us.
Terrible dreams and all.
They'll not keep us apart, Joe, lad.
Nothing's gonna break us.
It'll always be you and me on the picket line.
Shoulder to shoulder.
You can't stay here, Mack.
Don't go, Mack.
I won't leave you.
I'll keep fighting for both of us.
If we stay, they'll arrest him.
What is going on? Jesus, Gist! This is why he fights.
He threatened me.
Said if I didn't stop getting at him, he'd split me and Joe up.
The needs of one resident cannot dictate the needs of a business.
That's why you poisoned him, Mack? Because he threatened Joe? Why didn't you tell us this? You can't split them up.
It's heartless.
You want to talk about heartless, do you? This old man You're in breach of your bail, Mr Steen.
I'm calling the police.
Hold on.
Can't you see he's sick? Bloody bastard! Back! Let go of me.
Let go of my arm.
Let go of my arm.
What are you doing? Let go! Get out.
You get out.
You hate Mack, and when you do, that song fills your mind.
Why? Look, I can see he's sick.
I'll forget it this once, if you just get the hell out of here.
You threatened a resident.
You used an Alzheimer's patient as hostage.
You want court, Mr Cedric? You got it.
Oi, Aled Jones, wake up.
'Your honour, we have someone for the jury to love Mack Steen, diehard old socialist and widower, dedicated to protecting his friend with Alzheimer's.
' I found something.
'In the blue corner, a calculating man who victimised our client ' You asked if any residents' families had complained about Cedric.
Daisy Barlow.
As in Joe Barlow? She's his daughter, a nurse.
She wrote a piece for the Post about poor care of dementia patients.
She doesn't name names, but she might have an issue with Cedric.
Why didn't you give this to me earlier? When I tell you I need information and something's important, do you hear the words, or does it come across as a droning sound? I'm giving it to you now.
And lay off.
I was up half the night with that angry old Sorry.
The thing is, Mack exploits Joe too, doesn't he? I think he makes Joe polish his shoes for him.
What are you saying? Mack and Cedric.
They're both arrogant, they're both angry.
Sometimes I wonder how much difference there is between them.
We need to find out what makes Cedric tick.
I appreciate it's an embarrassment, Keith, but you mustn't forget you're the victim in all this.
I don't think the defence have a pot to piss in.
It'll be over in a flash.
It was a piece about my profession.
I wasn't writing about the care my own father gets.
Have you not had any concerns? I never stop worrying about Dad.
It's first thing in the morning, it's last thing at night.
Daisy, I'm so sorry.
Life can seem pointlessly cruel, can't it? When the Douglas closes, he'll come to mine.
Would you be prepared to stand up in front of the court, and tell everyone what a good, loyal friend Mack has been to your father? Not in a million years.
Daisy Dad liked the quiet life.
Mack was always dragging him into some scrape or another.
They were on the picket lines together.
And Mack's still fighting for your father.
That's Dad and Mum on their wedding day.
When I was 19, Mack ran off with her.
He ruined Dad's life.
He didn't speak again until he got Alzheimer's.
Well, then of course, Mack could be pals again.
Boss Dad around all over again.
I won't be your character witness, Mr Gist.
The Douglas is a well-run place.
And Mack Steen is a nasty old man.
I think you should leave now.
Awkward.
Yeah, fine.
OK.
Well, I'm going to help him somehow.
- Collecting fir cones? - It's bloody pathetic, boy! - Five minutes, Dad.
- Doing what? You're idle, Keith! You're sitting on your lazy arse! Get down now! Sorry! Zak called.
Daisy Barlow doesn't like you.
Stupid fat bint.
That's why you've been looking after Joe, isn't it? And why you're ashamed to talk about it.
You're doing penance.
I broke his heart.
Prison's all I'm good for.
Hey, that's enough of that.
Come on, up you get.
We'll try again.
Good.
All right.
And for future reference, when I say hold my hand that's not my hand.
Hello? 'It's Jude.
' Hiya.
A few of us are going out tonight.
Well count me in.
Big time.
Great! I've discovered you're a shareholder in Gracenotes.
You're in breach of your codes of practice.
I was a very minor partner.
And there you were, telling me old people were so selfish.
Well, there are investment opportunities in selfish people.
It's not fu Hang about.
You said you were a minor partner.
I pulled out as soon as I knew I was taking this case.
Listen, I wouldn't blame you, but did you tell Gist? I haven't said anything.
And I won't.
Four vodka red bears.
Four vodka bulls and an orange juice.
Make that five vodkas.
Doubles.
Go on, Tom! The man upstairs forgot what it's like shovelling the black stuff.
I can vouch for that.
You seem like you're an old soldier of the left.
People will understand that.
I need to go home.
You can't.
It's your conditions of bail.
I wanna go home.
I got summat to do.
Something worth going to prison for? Yeah.
You'll not last inside.
I don't care.
I'm going back.
No, calm yourself, Mack.
Get off! I wanna go.
You're not stopping me.
They'll arrest you.
Bloody ow! Don't you see, Steen? We're all that stands between you and a lonely death in Strangeways.
Now, bed.
OK, lad.
OK.
What does it mean to you? Come on, Keith, what makes you tick? You have a man's life in your hands.
He'll die in prison if you carry on.
This was my father's room.
This was where he died.
Get your head out of the sand and listen to me.
You're destroying Mack.
It's wrong.
Or is this just a case of pig-stubborn pride? What happened to you? Talk to me.
Give you more ammunition to destroy me? That would be so easy for you, Mr Gist.
Do you really hate Mack? What is it? I am the victim! Talk to me.
Your father I'm trying to understand.
Did your father die while listening to this song? Did he die alone? Why is this connected to your hatred of Mack? It was my one safe place.
- I've done my prep, Dad.
- I'm just going to watch the sunset.
Come back here, Keith! Please don't start shouting.
We'llgo through the figures.
Stop shouting! I'll not have you as some kind of nancy! Please, Dad, stop shouting.
I'm here.
You're here but you're not all bloody there! I'm going to report you for what you did tonight.
They'll throw you off the case.
It's over.
Whoa.
Check these out! I love this! What is this? Keith Cedric had one place to go to escape his father.
And that tree's not there any more.
It's just tarmac.
Mack did this, all those years ago? And he hates him just for that? Mr Mountjoy sent us two.
Mack and Keith Cedric.
And I've failed them both.
I know.
I know.
I'm really hungry.
There's bacon in the fridge and eggs in next door's chickens.
What, I can't have fun with people my own age? So Jude's 14 billion years old as well, is she? You went to her place, didn't you? She kissed me.
Gosh! And I absolutely did respond.
Heavens.
Just tell us that you didn't We slept together.
Slept.
I passed out.
I think it was connected to the alcohol.
When I woke up, she'd gone to work.
What's that clock doing out? Go easy on him.
I know you fell in love.
And I know it got tricky.
Tricky? I would have died for her.
Instead, I broke her heart.
I had to leave behind the greatest love of my existence.
Not as great as your love for Mr Mountjoy.
The greatest love of my existence.
If it's that bad, give up your wings.
Do what Mrs S did and become one of them.
It's not the end of the world.
Yes, it is! This is the clock that sat in the Kremlin counting down to doomsday.
Doomsday.
And Mr Mountjoy sent it to us.
To me.
He's not about to let another of us fall.
We are here for humankind, because they are that close.
We cannot let them down.
We can not.
I cannot.
You're an idiot.
You're a stupid bloody idiot.
But you're not as big an idiot as me.
In the interests of an expedient transfer of resources to Leeds, I have decided to begin the closure of the Douglas today.
Where's Mack? Your friends and relatives are being informed.
He can't do this.
You can't do this! I'm sorry.
It was my home too.
But it's time to close this house up.
Mack! I'm sorry.
We've let you down.
I stand and fall by my own mistakes, son.
Always have done.
What happens to them now? They'll be collected by relatives, or moved to hospital.
Joe? Going to his daughter's, I expect.
He needs me.
Mack! We'll go with you.
Thanks, pet.
Joe! Hey, Joe, lad.
What's all this palaver? Want me to polish them shoes for you? Yes.
I've always done them, haven't I? No one does them like Mack? Come on.
Let's get you back to your room for a lie-down.
They're replacing your defence counsel.
The whole trial is on hold.
What happened? I happened.
You know Cedric's started closing the home today? I've got him.
Mack.
Help! Help, it's Mack! It's all right.
Call an ambulance.
I'm not done.
Easy, Mack.
It's not fair.
Damn it! Talk to him.
All right.
Breathe.
It's not fair.
Damn it, it's not fair! No, no, no.
This is it, your chance to let it go.
What are you talking about? Your father died in here.
Just go away, please.
Did you stay with him? When the time came for him to pass, did you stay? No, you put on Fred Astaire and left him, didn't you? He was an evil old bastard.
He bullied you.
And the only safe place for you was in the branches of that tree.
All right, breathe.
Breathe.
Don't be afraid.
He had Mack and Joe cut it down and smother it in tar.
Was it revenge, letting your dad die alone in here? It's OK.
Don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
Keith, trust me.
You can bury this pain, for ever.
I'm sorry, Mack.
Looking at you was like looking at my father.
They can stay.
I won't close.
You did it.
You won.
I won't close, and we'll look after Joe.
Good lad.
It's all right.
That's it.
It's all right, just let it happen.
It's done.
I'll find glasses for the job.
Right I do have glasses.
Somewhere.
That's him.
Daniel.
The man who left me waiting in a restaurant and then vanished from my life.
Daniel? Bit precious, as names go.
Ha! I think Could we do this another day? Sorry, I'm I'm a little bit tired.
It's a flat-warming present.
I'm not really superstitious but for luck.
Tom? A hangover slows a man down.
It forces him to take stock.
It begins like a lion and ends like a lullaby.
You can't fight the hangover, old son.
It's like growing old.
Can't fight it.
But they do.
They fight from when they're young, from the moment they sense death's coming.
I'm really sorry about the stuff with Jude.
Understand, Tom.
We can't be with them.
Not in that way.
Mountjoy wouldn't tolerate another failure.
It's a good job you didn't sleep with her.
You'd probably have blown her head off.
Are we that impressive? Yeah.
I could go to prison for ten years, even though I'm the victim.
I couldn't bear it.
I'd refuse to bear it.
If you win, she will kill herself.
Convicting an innocent woman? How do you feel? It's horrible being the bogey man, isn't it? That is one sexy, sexy mess.
I decide what happens! Not you! I wish we could have sex.
Who says we can't?