Chimp Empire (2023) s01e04 Episode Script
Reckoning
1
A few days have passed
since the battle with the westerners.
And Jackson is still injured.
But an alpha can never show weakness.
Jackson's strength is being judged.
For an alpha, physical weakness
is also political weakness.
And even Jackson's closest ally
seems more distant.
Abrams and Wilson
can sense an opportunity.
With every day that passes,
Christine's baby
is becoming more independent.
She's strong and agile enough
to make her way through the canopy alone.
And she seems to be showing off.
Quite impressive.
The further she gets from her mother,
the more she can get into trouble.
And these are turbulent times.
Abrams and Wilson are making their move.
Jackson has been sent running
in full view of the group.
With Wilson's help,
Abrams has struck a major blow.
And in the forest,
news travels.
The westerners recognize panic
and confusion when they hear it.
They can sense weakness in central Ngogo.
Abrams now has a decision to make.
He beat Jackson once,
but he paid a price.
And the job is far from finished.
It will take more than one attack
to depose an alpha like Jackson.
Leadership contests are dangerous
for the alpha and for the challenger.
And Abrams has time on his side.
So he's decided to reconcile with Jackson.
It's a truce.
For now.
Peace has been temporarily restored.
So the central group
can come together and relax.
For Gus
life is improving.
He's been spending more and more time
with Christine and her family.
Christine is comfortable with Gus,
but her attention
is being drawn elsewhere.
Gus is still a low-ranking teenager.
Peterson, on the other hand,
is a fully grown male with high status.
Chimps change as they get older.
But they never lose their love of playing.
Or their need to be close to each other.
With the truce in place,
Jackson can afford to take time on his own
and recover his strength.
He's come to the edge
of the group to rest.
There's virtually zero chance
of Jackson grooming Gus back.
Still, any chance
to spend time with the alpha
is progress.
A storm is brewing.
And Jackson is returning
to the group to sit it out.
Heavy rain makes the forest
more dangerous.
It's harder to see things coming.
It's the westerners.
Rollins and Damien are closing in.
But this time,
it's Richmond who leads the charge.
The central chimps have scattered
and Jackson has been left isolated.
The westerners have Jackson outnumbered.
And he's surrounded.
The other central males
have heard Jackson's cries.
They're on their way to help.
Richmond has Jackson pinned to the ground.
The westerners have been driven away.
But in the chaos,
Jackson has vanished.
Jackson managed to escape.
But he's been terribly injured.
He's still the alpha
and even now,
he can't show any weakness to his group.
So he's retreating into the forest,
alone.
Most of the central group
don't know what happened in the storm.
Even the chimps that were there
haven't seen Jackson
since they were separated.
So life is going on as normal.
But Peterson seems on edge.
He's moving away from the group
and into the forest.
Jackson has been on his own for a while.
And his injuries aren't improving.
Jackson's strength is fading.
But at least he's no longer alone.
Jackson's passing
marks the end of an era for Ngogo.
For 32 years, he lived here in the forest,
and it was a full life.
He rose to the very top
of the biggest chimp group ever known.
And he stayed there for six long years.
But along the way,
he made a lot of enemies.
And that cost him his life.
But a chimp's story
doesn't always end with their death.
Part of the reason Jackson fought
to become alpha
was so he could pass on his legacy.
And he was very successful.
He leaves behind
eight children.
And Bartoli has just given birth
to a new boy.
He could be Jackson's ninth.
As they grow,
live their lives,
and have children of their own,
they'll ensure that Jackson's presence
continues to be felt at Ngogo
long after he's gone.
In the last year,
everything has changed at Ngogo.
The westerners have had
a difficult but successful year.
Rollins and Damien have done their job.
Their efforts have helped
win new territory
and the western group continues to grow.
Carson's baby has arrived.
And she'll have to take it easy,
at least for a while.
And Bergl
is trying to make
his own contribution to population growth.
Even Garbo will have seen
few years like this one.
And as her long life draws near its end,
her legacy looks more secure.
Her son, Hutcherson, is still the alpha
and his brother, Richmond,
saw the death of Jackson, his old rival.
But even as the group prospers,
only time will tell
whether it was the victory it seems to be.
With Jackson gone,
a new alpha will rise
in the central group.
And an alpha
with no fear of the westerners
could alter the balance of power at Ngogo.
Whatever happens,
one chimp won't be around to see it.
Joya's growing up.
And she must leave Ngogo.
This is how chimp societies mix
and remain healthy.
Young females move between groups
to start their own families.
Joya's leaving everything
and everyone she's ever known.
But somewhere out in the forest,
she'll find a new group
where she can build herself a life.
Central Ngogo has lost its alpha.
And the whole group must adjust
to life without Jackson.
For Miles, it might mean retirement.
He's been fighting for years.
So he's earned a little peace.
This could be the beginning
of the era of Abrams.
Although nothing is certain.
At Ngogo, the politics never stop.
And allies can quickly become rivals
when they see opportunity.
It's been a tough year for Gus.
But he's never given up.
And finally,
he's getting groomed by other males.
Gus is no longer bottom of the pile.
Despite all the turmoil
and danger of the last year,
Christine's baby has safely reached
her first birthday
and earned her name.
Isobel.
Isobel is now part of the society.
And her life,
whatever it has in store for her,
will become a small part
of a bigger story.
Chimps and their ancestors
have lived in the forests of Africa
for millions of years.
And for all that time,
stories like these have been unfolding.
Year after year.
Generation
after generation.
Friendships.
Rivalries.
Hopes.
And fears.
As their closest relatives,
what does this mean for us?
Who are we?
How did we become the way we are?
Chimps can certainly offer clues.
We can often recognize
the best and worst of ourselves in them.
If we could fully understand their world
perhaps we could
better understand our own.
It seems they always have
new and amazing things to show us.
Long may it continue.
A few days have passed
since the battle with the westerners.
And Jackson is still injured.
But an alpha can never show weakness.
Jackson's strength is being judged.
For an alpha, physical weakness
is also political weakness.
And even Jackson's closest ally
seems more distant.
Abrams and Wilson
can sense an opportunity.
With every day that passes,
Christine's baby
is becoming more independent.
She's strong and agile enough
to make her way through the canopy alone.
And she seems to be showing off.
Quite impressive.
The further she gets from her mother,
the more she can get into trouble.
And these are turbulent times.
Abrams and Wilson are making their move.
Jackson has been sent running
in full view of the group.
With Wilson's help,
Abrams has struck a major blow.
And in the forest,
news travels.
The westerners recognize panic
and confusion when they hear it.
They can sense weakness in central Ngogo.
Abrams now has a decision to make.
He beat Jackson once,
but he paid a price.
And the job is far from finished.
It will take more than one attack
to depose an alpha like Jackson.
Leadership contests are dangerous
for the alpha and for the challenger.
And Abrams has time on his side.
So he's decided to reconcile with Jackson.
It's a truce.
For now.
Peace has been temporarily restored.
So the central group
can come together and relax.
For Gus
life is improving.
He's been spending more and more time
with Christine and her family.
Christine is comfortable with Gus,
but her attention
is being drawn elsewhere.
Gus is still a low-ranking teenager.
Peterson, on the other hand,
is a fully grown male with high status.
Chimps change as they get older.
But they never lose their love of playing.
Or their need to be close to each other.
With the truce in place,
Jackson can afford to take time on his own
and recover his strength.
He's come to the edge
of the group to rest.
There's virtually zero chance
of Jackson grooming Gus back.
Still, any chance
to spend time with the alpha
is progress.
A storm is brewing.
And Jackson is returning
to the group to sit it out.
Heavy rain makes the forest
more dangerous.
It's harder to see things coming.
It's the westerners.
Rollins and Damien are closing in.
But this time,
it's Richmond who leads the charge.
The central chimps have scattered
and Jackson has been left isolated.
The westerners have Jackson outnumbered.
And he's surrounded.
The other central males
have heard Jackson's cries.
They're on their way to help.
Richmond has Jackson pinned to the ground.
The westerners have been driven away.
But in the chaos,
Jackson has vanished.
Jackson managed to escape.
But he's been terribly injured.
He's still the alpha
and even now,
he can't show any weakness to his group.
So he's retreating into the forest,
alone.
Most of the central group
don't know what happened in the storm.
Even the chimps that were there
haven't seen Jackson
since they were separated.
So life is going on as normal.
But Peterson seems on edge.
He's moving away from the group
and into the forest.
Jackson has been on his own for a while.
And his injuries aren't improving.
Jackson's strength is fading.
But at least he's no longer alone.
Jackson's passing
marks the end of an era for Ngogo.
For 32 years, he lived here in the forest,
and it was a full life.
He rose to the very top
of the biggest chimp group ever known.
And he stayed there for six long years.
But along the way,
he made a lot of enemies.
And that cost him his life.
But a chimp's story
doesn't always end with their death.
Part of the reason Jackson fought
to become alpha
was so he could pass on his legacy.
And he was very successful.
He leaves behind
eight children.
And Bartoli has just given birth
to a new boy.
He could be Jackson's ninth.
As they grow,
live their lives,
and have children of their own,
they'll ensure that Jackson's presence
continues to be felt at Ngogo
long after he's gone.
In the last year,
everything has changed at Ngogo.
The westerners have had
a difficult but successful year.
Rollins and Damien have done their job.
Their efforts have helped
win new territory
and the western group continues to grow.
Carson's baby has arrived.
And she'll have to take it easy,
at least for a while.
And Bergl
is trying to make
his own contribution to population growth.
Even Garbo will have seen
few years like this one.
And as her long life draws near its end,
her legacy looks more secure.
Her son, Hutcherson, is still the alpha
and his brother, Richmond,
saw the death of Jackson, his old rival.
But even as the group prospers,
only time will tell
whether it was the victory it seems to be.
With Jackson gone,
a new alpha will rise
in the central group.
And an alpha
with no fear of the westerners
could alter the balance of power at Ngogo.
Whatever happens,
one chimp won't be around to see it.
Joya's growing up.
And she must leave Ngogo.
This is how chimp societies mix
and remain healthy.
Young females move between groups
to start their own families.
Joya's leaving everything
and everyone she's ever known.
But somewhere out in the forest,
she'll find a new group
where she can build herself a life.
Central Ngogo has lost its alpha.
And the whole group must adjust
to life without Jackson.
For Miles, it might mean retirement.
He's been fighting for years.
So he's earned a little peace.
This could be the beginning
of the era of Abrams.
Although nothing is certain.
At Ngogo, the politics never stop.
And allies can quickly become rivals
when they see opportunity.
It's been a tough year for Gus.
But he's never given up.
And finally,
he's getting groomed by other males.
Gus is no longer bottom of the pile.
Despite all the turmoil
and danger of the last year,
Christine's baby has safely reached
her first birthday
and earned her name.
Isobel.
Isobel is now part of the society.
And her life,
whatever it has in store for her,
will become a small part
of a bigger story.
Chimps and their ancestors
have lived in the forests of Africa
for millions of years.
And for all that time,
stories like these have been unfolding.
Year after year.
Generation
after generation.
Friendships.
Rivalries.
Hopes.
And fears.
As their closest relatives,
what does this mean for us?
Who are we?
How did we become the way we are?
Chimps can certainly offer clues.
We can often recognize
the best and worst of ourselves in them.
If we could fully understand their world
perhaps we could
better understand our own.
It seems they always have
new and amazing things to show us.
Long may it continue.