The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

1
The gangrene's spread, Rainbow.
If we don't cut it back,
the sepsis is going to set in,
and your organs will fail.
What do you want to do?
Don't tell me,
don't tell me - just do it.
Alright
Les! Go to the
cookhouse and get a meat saw.
I need a saw.
Are you sure about this, sir?
You got to hold the pressure
on the femoral artery.
Ready?
Alright, Jacky.
- Les! Hold him. Hold the leg.
- Yep.
Hard. Firm.
- Alright, Bonox. Spoon.
- Yep, yep.
Keep pressure
on the artery.
- Pressure.
- Yeah.
- Pressure!
- Yes, sir.
That a boy.
Okay, hold tight.
Incision.
- Hold him!
- Yes! I'm holding him.
Hold him! Hold him!
Hold him still.
- Clamps.
- Here, sir.
Clamps. Saw.
Sir
Saw away.
- Hold him.
- Mm-hm.
- Hold that down.
- Yep.
Break.
Okay
Okay.
Hold, boys. Pressure!
Suture.
- Hold!
- Yep.
Clamp, sir.
Begin suture.
Tying the artery.
- Hold him.
- Holding, got it.
- Tying in a knot.
- Yeah
Clamps gone.
Spoon away. Slowly.
Up slowly, Bonox.
- Slowly.
- Slowly.
Good.
Good job, sir.
He's back with us.
Good boy, Rainbow.
- You give him that smoke, Bonox.
- Yeah.
I reckon you'll like this one.
Colonel!
- What?
- Colonel!
Colonel! He's bleeding again.
- Bleeding, bleeding, bleeding.
- What?
Bonox, spoon!
Fuck, spoon!
Hold him down.
- Hold the bloody leg!
- I'm holding!
Can't reach it.
- Hold him down!
- Fuck!
Spoon! Hold it.
Hold the bloody spoon, Bonox.
Yes, I'm pushing his - pressure
with the bloody spoon!
- Yes, I'm pushing.
- Hold it.
Hold him down, hold him down.
Hold him down.
Bonox! More pressure.
I am putting
pressure on it, sir.
Hold the leg, Les.
Hold the bloody leg!
- I'm holding!
- Fuck!
Hold him down.
Hold him down.
Bonox! Spoon! Spoon!
I'm pushing it
as hard as I can.
Les, fuckin' hold his other leg.
I can't really see.
Hold him bloody still!
I fucking am!
Sir
Sir
This is a thank you,
from all of us men here.
I nicked it from one of
the Japanese stores for you.
Eat up, sir.
Go on, it's from us.
Go on, it's okay.
It's yours, sir. Eat up.
It's yours, sir.
Especially got it for you, sir.
Eat it, mate.
It's yours, sir.
Take it to the hospital
and share it.
- But it's yours, sir.
- I said take it, Frank.
Eat it, mate.
I'm not taking it.
I said fucking take it!
You take it now!
You fucking take it!
Dorrigo! Good to see you.
- Steven.
- Found us alright?
- Yes.
- Sorry to keep you waiting.
We're hoping to ask you
questions regarding Vera Davis.
Why?
We're following up
on a complaint.
I take it the complaint didn't
come from Mrs. Davis herself?
We're not at liberty to say who.
So, what is it you want?
Well, your version of events.
Very well.
Um
Mrs. Davis was diagnosed
with bowel cancer.
While removing her cancer,
I discovered it had
metastasised to the liver.
So I then removed a lobe,
which led to some bleeding.
Bleeding I was able
to halt soon after,
leaving Mrs. Davis cancer free.
Did you seek reasonable consent?
For surgery? Of course.
Liver surgery? Not bowel.
Did I wake Mrs. Davis
mid-surgery
to ask if she'd like to keep
hold of her cancer?
No, I did not.
Do you realise how dangerous it
is to perform a liver resection,
especially when there
hasn't been due diligence?
I've been a surgeon
for nearly 50 years,
so, yes, I know the risks
involved with liver surgery.
Which is why
upon laceration of the liver
I was quick to pack it
with haemostatic gauze
before suturing.
What if there wasn't enough
blood in your bank?
I don't bother myself
with 'what ifs', Steven!
Mrs. Davis is now well,
that's all I care about.
Well, the complainant claims
you were 'playing God'.
God has no place in surgery,
only science.
In my experience, those relying
on God's intervention
soon find themselves
joining him.
A doctor is more important
than any deity -
it's they who save lives.
And it can be they
who take them.
Well, that went well.
Are you familiar with
the playwright Aeschylus, Rick?
No, I don't believe I am.
The father of Greek tragedy.
One of history's great poets.
Rightio.
One of the things
Aeschylus wrote was, uh
"I've learned
to hate all traitors,
and there's no disease
I spit on more than treachery."
How long have we
known each other?
About 10 years.
And in that time, has my door
not always been open to you?
Yet still you go behind my back.
- I did what I thought was--
- Hate all traitors, Rick.
And you should
remember that next time.
Before you run
your fucking mouth.
I want to hear you talk
at the book launch.
- Well, I'm afraid you can't.
- Why?
Because my family will be there.
Rick said you almost
killed a woman.
- Well, is it true?
- No, it is not.
- Why would he make it up?
- I don't know.
He's your husband.
You should ask him.
I'm I'm sorry.
That was rude of me.
I'm sorry.
To be a truly great surgeon
To be a truly great surgeon
To be a truly great surgeon,
one must be devoid of emotion.
That holds him back.
It's funny.
That's what I like about him.
Rick lets himself feel things.
Doesn't want to
have sex with me
but he feels things.
One person
goes to the bathroom
maybe two, three times a day.
You've got to cater to that.
- So this clerk
- Yeah?
He looks at me
like I'm bloody mad.
And I said to him,
"A council's sole purpose
is to cater to its constituents.
And if one can't find a water
closet to relieve himself in,
then one is not
being catered to."
And he rabbited on about
planning regulations
and mechanisms
until finally I said,
"Mate, shut the fuck up.
If you don't want the entire
town smelling like a toilet,
then you've got to
give us more of them."
- Yeah.
- Right, love?
I mean, it's basic math.
- Isn't this beautiful?
- Gorgeous.
In paradise.
Here we go.
So you're looking for
dark patches in the sand.
Give it a scratch.
They'll let you know
if they're there or not.
Here we go.
Oh, there's one. There we go.
Grab it, quick! Get your bucket!
Watch it.
He might be a swimmer.
Well done.
Oh, well done. Cheers, mate.
I'm sorry I wasn't
at the funeral.
Well, that's alright, mate.
You got your studies.
Funerals are
bastards of things.
Wish I'd missed it.
You know, life will just
turn around on you.
In a flash, mate.
In a bloody instant.
She walked into the bar looking
for work and that was it.
The sun shined on me.
Lit me up, mate.
Felt like I was alive again.
Well, I'm in the drink, mate.
Let's go. Let's go!
Beautiful!
Perfect temperature.
Come on, love.
You excited? Oh!
Ooh, being a bit playful.
There you go.
Isn't that good, huh?
This is the perfect temperature
in here, isn't it?
I love salt water.
- You find something?
- Yeah, maybe. Have a look!
What are you doing?
What do you mean?
Why are you best mates
with Keith all of a sudden?
Well, Keith's my uncle.
He's my fucking husband.
What do you want?
Coward!
- How was your day?
- Fine. Yours?
Helped Jessica with the boys,
golfed with the co-op ladies.
Oh, was it competition day?
Nope. Just fun.
Tell me more about your day.
Ah, a few consultations
in the morning.
Small surgery in the afternoon.
That was it.
- That's it?
- Mm-hm.
Why are you being investigated?
How do you know about that?
There's an awful lot of time
to talk on the golf course.
What's going on?
They wish to take my livelihood.
- Who does?
- The Medical Council.
Why?
A complaint was
made against me,
so the Council are investigating
whether my professional conduct
is to be deemed
satisfactory or not.
But you're an excellent surgeon.
Tell that to Rick Maison.
What's he got to do with it?
He made the complaint.
Considers me reckless.
- When was the surgery?
- Several days ago.
Why didn't you mention it then?
Because there was
nothing to mention.
The surgery was a success.
- Not according to Rick.
- It's nothing.
Do not destroy
what we have built.
It's an honour to meet.
I very much wanted to see you.
Thank you.
We brought them
all the way from Japan,
but don't worry, they have
been both translated.
I'm thankful.
My Japanese is very poor.
Have you read
Basho before?
No, though I have heard of him.
Jisei. Death poems.
We believe they
transcend thought
and connect the reader
to the poet's mind,
just before they take
their last breath.
Enso. From the 18th century.
Thank you.
It's the least
we could do
for all that you and your
fellow soldiers have suffered.
It's a small token,
comes with a sincere apology,
on behalf of the nation
and its people.
- What my country did was--
- Was in the past.
Um, shall we?
Thank you.
Hurry up!
Get up! Get up!
Bonox.
Don't stare.
So this produces
a saline solution, okay?
Yep.
You're to make sure
it's working at all times.
Keep the place as
clean as possible.
Clear out any of
the shit and blood.
Okay.
And when they can, you got to
help them into the latrines.
Yeah. Where do we
wash our hands?
Outside, we wash thoroughly -
under your fingernails, wrists,
hands three times over, okay?
Okay.
We'll burn the bodies
in the morning.
You right, Rabbit?
I'm fucked.
Come on, mate,
grab your shoes.
You're right. Come on.
Fuck. Fuck.
Sir
Sergeant?
Sir, um, I took what
I could carry in my pockets.
- Bonox?
- Yeah.
Where'd you get these?
I just found them
on my morning walk.
Thank you, Frank.
Hey, Sergeant.
- How you feeling, Rabbit?
- You tell me, sir.
I think you should rest.
I'm going to
finish this drawing.
So you can help
the more important ones.
I'll go
Are you unwell?
No, they help me work.
Stay awake.
Perhaps my men
could use some.
No, Lieutenant-Colonel.
Philopon is for the Empire,
not Australians.
They help inspire
fighting spirits.
Perhaps we could have
some morphine then?
You are to use what you have.
We have nothing.
We will succeed.
It is inevitable.
Do you know Basho?
No.
He wrote of the Japanese spirit.
This railway is to carry
more than supplies.
It will take the beauty and
wisdom of Basho to the world.
When this railway is finished,
all of your men will
come to understand
the greatness of this mission.
Major, too many of your men
are dying out there,
and with them goes your chance
of finishing this railway.
Cholera is spreading
through the camp.
You are a part of
the British Empire.
Are you not, Lieutenant-Colonel?
And do you not think that your
Empire was built on death?
Like my railway.
Your Empire was built
sleeper by sleeper,
bridge by bridge,
of non-freedom.
What of the pyramids?
Do they not amaze you?
All history is built
by men like me.
My wife always says
I am a lucky man.
Lucky to have met her. Lucky
to have such a beautiful son.
How about you?
Are you as lucky as I?
How do you mean?
Children, wife, girlfriend.
Someone waiting for you
when this is over?
Yes, I do.
What is her name?
Sorry.
You looking for
your Uncle Keith?
No, I'm not here for Keith.
- Righto, you want a beer?
- Yeah.
Yeah?
Thank you.
How long are you here for?
Just the weekend.
Alright.
You want to go to the beach?
Yeah, I always want
to go to the beach.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Keith's probably going to
run for Mayor soon.
What are your plans?
I don't know.
It's well, it's strange
to plan for life after war.
Does Ella have plans?
Well, she's
she's making plans.
- She's making plans.
- Yeah, she's, ah
Big wedding.
- Yeah
House close to her parents.
She's got me a job at a surgery.
Sounds perfect.
Yeah, it does, doesn't it?
Does she know you're here?
No.