The Swarm (2023) s01e03 Episode Script

1
They say we know more
about space than the oceans.
- You think they're bite marks?
- What's gonna bite an orca?
What happened to the lobster?
She threw it away.
Down the waste disposal.
- What's that?
- Ice worms.
It looks like
you've stumbled on a new species.
Smack in the middle of
Hovedstad's fields in the Norwegian Sea.
If the worms, or anything we discover,
proves to be environmentally sensitive,
it will be in my report.
Hope the reason you're not answering
is because you're with
that hot guy from the boat.
Miss you.
Water and marble and that silentness
Which is not broken by wheel or hoof
A city like a water lily
Less seen than reflected
Palace wall and roof
In the unfruitful waters motionless
Without one living grass's green reproof
A city without joy or weariness
Itself beholding, from itself aloof
"Venice" by Arthur Symons.
How did
Do you really think
you're the first person
to read that on a bridge in Venice?
- I know a much better Symons poem.
- Oh, you do?
Let me show you.
Well, just be thankful
I didn't read it to you on a gondola.
What's all this?
Breakfast. Popped down to the shop
when you were out.
- That's nice of you.
- Well, more self-serving than nice.
I saw the state of your fridge
last time I was here.
Domestic skills aren't my strong suit.
I noticed.
Thank you.
Mine. Yours.
Uncontaminated by my bacon, don't worry.
Great.
Bon appétit.
Some beans there as well,
if you want them.
Hello?
We we lost the Juno, Charlie.
What? What do you mean, "lost"?
The emergency beacon.
It was picked up late last night.
Charlie, are you there?
I'm here. We just spoke to them, how
What
Two other emergency beacons
were picked up.
From fishing trawlers in the same area.
The Norwegian Coast Guard are there.
Looking for them.
Do they think anyone got off
before it went down?
I'll let you know
as soon as we know more.
As soon as we find them.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Vibrio vulnificus?
It's a bacterium which produces a toxin
when it comes into contact with blood.
Usually through an open wound
from handling or eating
raw seafood harvested in warm water.
- It's most common in the Gulf of Mexico.
- So we know what it is?
Yes. Yes.
But?
Our blood contains cells
which consume the Vibrio,
which is why an infection
is so rarely fatal.
But in this case C'mon, have a look.
The Vibrio is consuming the blood.
At an astonishing rate.
Yeah, it must be
some kind of mutation, or
or a new strain.
We are lucky
no one else has contracted it.
There have been other people infected.
I just heard this morning.
- Where?
- At a restaurant up the coast.
None of them survived.
It's got a D-shaped shell,
alternating yellow and brownish stripes
of a zebra mussel,
two hinged valves joined by a ligament.
But adults are typically
fingernail-sized.
This is twice as large.
- But mussels can't swim, can they?
- They can in the larval stage.
Which is how they must have found
and attached themselves
to the Barrier Queen.
The ship left on the second,
and arrived eighteen days later.
By which time, there were tens,
maybe hundreds of thousands of them.
No species of mussels
can reproduce at that rate.
I'll send a sample for sequencing
to the bio lab at the university.
That should tell us whether
it's a mutation or a new species.
Dr. Oliviera, what is this?
It appears to be
some sort of organic material.
Can you run a test?
Sure, Leon.
I'll add it to the list of other 9,000
things I have to do today.
Anything else?
Actually, there is.
I'd like to do an autopsy
on the orca at the beach.
I thought you said
it died from its wounds?
It attacked a boat
for no apparent reason.
So did the whale
which attacked the Lady Wexham,
and the tugboats
towing the Barrier Queen into harbor.
I want to see if there's a contaminant
load impacting the whales' behavior.
- Leon, we're short-staffed as it is.
- I can do it myself.
You've never done
an autopsy in the field.
But there's gotta be a first time, right?
I can ask a couple of the grads
to help out.
Get them out of the lab,
out of your hair?
Sure an orca's big enough
for your first time?
- No problem.
- Fine. But they are your responsibility.
He had some plastic in his gut,
but his stomach or bowels
were free from any obstructions.
- You took tissue samples?
- We did.
We ran an analysis
to check traces of contaminants, PCBs
- Infections?
- None.
His wounds were deep,
but they were clean.
I'll run a full range
of blood tests to make sure.
But I did find something
I've never seen.
A small clot in the brain stem.
A blood clot?
Not blood.
Any damage to the brain?
- Any sign of a stroke?
- None.
Any idea what it is?
It looks like
something growing into the brain tissue.
Maybe like a fungus.
And yes, I will add it
to the list of tests you want me to run.
Go ahead, go ahead. Stop.
Okay.
Hey!
What the hell?
Twelve more cases came in this morning.
Anyone who ate or touched a lobster?
No, or any shellfish at all.
- It must be airborne.
- No, no, no, it can't be airborne.
If it were, we'd be seeing
a lot more cases.
Then how?
- The garbage disposal.
- Sorry?
The maître d' in the restaurant said the
lobster went down the garbage disposal.
The Vibrio vulnificus
it's in the water system.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we ask you to remain calm.
We are here and will
- You're sending them where?
- To Corbigny.
I we need to get them away
from the coast. From the water.
- Is there anybody at the house?
- No.
As I can't leave, I'm asking you
to meet them there. Okay?
Cécile, look.
I know that you're concerned
- Don't do that, Michael.
- Don't do what?
Tell me I'm overreacting.
Is it really necessary?
That's all I'm saying.
- Why don't they come here?
- You're not safe either.
That's what I'm trying to say.
We don't know how far,
how fast it's spreading,
and can't, until people
start getting sick and dying.
- When are they leaving?
- I'm packing the car now.
Okay.
- You'll go?
- Yeah. I'll go.
The Wi-Fi better be working.
No promises.
Thank you, Michael.
If you have to stop,
don't use tap water at all.
Okay? Only use disinfectant
and bottled water.
Understood?
When you get there, boil some water.
- No showers, no baths.
- But I don't even have a license.
- What if the cops stop us?
- They won't. Plus, you drive very well.
And Dad is on his way,
he'll meet you at the house.
Okay? Don't worry, he'll be there.
When will you get there, too?
As soon as I can, sweetheart.
Be nice to your sister
and help her, okay?
I have Maps on my phone
in case she gets lost.
Okay, go.
Are you really coming?
- Or are you just saying it?
- Of course I will.
Come here.
Call me as soon as you get there.
- Okay.
- Promise?
Come on.
- I love you, Louis.
- Love you, Mum.
I love you, Isabelle.
Love you too.
Dr. Johanson?
Mr. Sato is ready for you, sir.
Wonderful.
Mr. Sato, thank you for taking the time.
Please.
- May I offer you something?
- No, no, I'm good, thank you.
So when did you arrive?
- Just this morning.
- Are you here for the conference?
No, no.
But I understand you'll be speaking?
"The Transformative Power of Science
in the Wake of the Global Pandemic."
For which I have been allocated
thirty minutes.
Including questions, if there are any.
I wasn't aware that Mr. Mifune
was interested in medical technology.
It's a recent development.
An offshoot of his interest
in environmental biotechnology.
I understand from Ms. Lund that
you have something of interest to us?
I do.
I was hoping that
you might have something
of interest to us.
- If this proves relevant.
- I understand.
If you could just send that along
sooner rather than later.
Of course.
It's a challenging time.
It is.
Particularly for those
with shipping interests.
The jellyfish in the Adriatic,
the disruption caused
by the whale attacks in the Pacific.
The Barrier Queen is one of yours, yeah?
Not mine. One of Mr. Mifune's.
I run Mr. Mifune's foundation.
Mr. Mifune's other interests
are outside my area of concern.
- But you know that.
- Well, I've done my research.
Is it true about the Barrier Queen?
That a couple of whales attacked
the tugboats sent out to save it?
That's what's been reported.
I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
My assistant can show you out.
No, I'm sure I can find my way.
- Thank you, again, for taking the time.
- It was my pleasure.
Is it the same species?
If you look at the images and compare
the worms found in the Norwegian Sea
with the ones we discovered,
you'll see they're a bit larger,
but have the same articulated jaws,
same sharp, elongated teeth.
So yes, I'd say
they're the same species.
How serious a threat do they pose?
The blow-out on the Thorvaldson
could be a freak accident,
but we should keep ships clear of the
area where the ice worms were found.
Aside from Hovedstad,
who else knows about them?
It is just a matter of time
before word gets out.
The question is, whose interests
is Dr. Johanson protecting?
He doesn't work for Hovedstad,
if that's what you're asking.
So he says.
I have no reason not to believe him.
Nor do I, but I think
it would be prudent to find out.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- How'd it go?
- As expected.
- But you saw Riku Sato?
- Oh, I did.
I did. He was charming,
couldn't have been more gracious.
- This one's good?
- Yeah.
Whether or not he'll help us
who knows.
If it's in his interest to do so,
he will.
And you think it's in his interest?
Aito Mifune invested in the biotreatment
of polluted environments,
including the ocean,
before anyone was even talking about it.
Right, right.
Well, you know,
saving the world is every billionaire's
favorite pastime, right?
Long as it doesn't trim the bottom line.
It is possible to do both, you know.
- Do good and make money?
- Yeah.
Right. I mean, the man's a saint.
I didn't say that.
You're not being fair.
Maybe I'm not. No, you're right.
Can we talk about something else?
- Sigur, I'm trying to help.
- I know you are, and I appreciate it.
So why are you being so
- So what?
- So difficult!
'Cause I
'Cause I shouldn't be here.
With you. Alone.
But I am.
From the moment you called,
from the moment I saw you, I
just knew this was going to happen,
because I want this to happen.
And now I'm sitting here
across from you, and I
I can't think about anything else.
So.
I need to know: When you called me,
was it just about work?
I wanted your advice, Sigur.
Because I knew you would give it.
And it would be honest.
Fair.
And it would make me, or us,
Hovedstad, listen.
Yeah.
That doesn't mean
that I didn't want to see you again.
Excuse me, can I have the check, please?
- I'm going to bed.
- Good night.
They found the Juno, Charlie.
Did they find anyone?
No.
They think everyone was still on board
when she went down.
Professor Lehmann approved the mission
to find out what happened.
If they find anything,
they'll send us the footage.
I'm coming.
- Charlie
- They're our friends. I want
I need to be there with you.
What's all this?
We've been discussing
the reports of the whale attacks.
This is the location
of the attack on the Lady Wexham.
And these are the locations of the
other attacks in the Northwest Pacific.
We're just trying to figure out
if there's a common factor
that links them all.
- Is it okay if I
- Yeah, of course.
I should have seen it before.
This is the migration route.
All the attacks are happening along it.
So if something's affecting the whales,
it's happening sometime,
somewhere, during the migration.
- They're asleep, right?
- Yes.
- All of them?
- Yes.
- For how long?
- Fifteen minutes, tops.
I can't believe I agreed to this.
Come on, kid.
- Shit.
- What?
- They're waking up.
- How many?
- All of them.
- That's just great.
Start the engine.
C'mon!
Hello?
- Dr. Johanson, this is Riku Sato.
- Mr. Sato.
In response to the act of faith
you extended to us,
I am extending the same to you.
You've found the worms?
- We have, yes.
- Where?
On the continental slope
of the southeast coast of India,
the Nankai Trough
and the South Chinese Sea.
- How widespread are they?
- I'll forward you what we have.
There's something else
I'd like to ask you.
Of course.
The permit Hovedstad was granted
by the Norwegian government
for exploration of oil,
gas hydrates, minerals.
Yeah?
Did Ms. Lund show it to you?
No, she did not.
Can I ask you why you're asking this?
Perhaps I can send you something?
- Please do.
- I'll have it sent over shortly.
I won't take up any more of your time.
The ship on the left
with the trench cutters is for dredging.
The one on the right is for processing
material they bring up from the seabed.
- Can you get any closer?
- They might engage if we do.
Risers that size, they'll be bringing up
8,000, 10,000 metric tons
per ship per day.
- Hey.
- Hi.
I spoke to Riku Sato.
And they found the worms.
- Where?
- South China Sea.
South coast of India,
off the Nankai Trough.
But they didn't find them on top of
the shelf, they found them on the slope,
which could destabilize the hydrates
quicker than we thought,
so we should get back out there
to see how far they spread.
We have some really fresh tuna
in the kitchen.
I was going to do
a little tartare for the staff.
Do you want some?
- Yes, thanks.
- Salad?
- Please.
- Yes.
Sorry about that, Sigur.
No, it's alright.
Do you want to talk some other time?
No, no, it's fine.
Yeah. Could you send me a map of
all the areas you've surveyed to date?
So I can narrow down the area
we might wanna visit again?
Yeah, as soon as
I get back to the office.
So, what else did Sato say?
Nothing. Nothing we didn't already know.
Fine.
I'll clear it with Skaugen.
We can head out tomorrow.
Thank you.
Look, Sigur
About Geneva
Hey, let's just talk when we get back.
Sure.
Here you go.
That was close.
Why do you do this to yourself?
What?
Work like this.
- Can't you stop and enjoy things?
- I'm already doing that, Kare.
Everybody is always
so focused on the future.
Preparing, making plans.
The way things are going,
who the hell knows what that will be.
Or if there even is a future.
So I just say: Fuck it.
Live in the moment.
The world is going to do what it wants.
We only get one life.
May as well enjoy it.
Max?
- Max? Can you get the door?
- I'm half-naked, could you go, please?
We received the footage from the ROV.
I know you were all very close,
so if you'd rather not watch
I want to know what happened.
You're sure?
I am.
Let's see what they found.
- How'd it go?
- I got it.
- No problems?
- Took me right to it.
Do they usually dive this deep?
No.
Never.