MotherFatherSon (2019) s01e04 Episode Script

This place teach me not always better to survive.
We have never accepted civilian patients.
When it comes to my son, I'll accept any advantage.
I'll find out anything.
Anyone.
Who asked you, the family or the police? What are you working on with Maggie? The press and the police.
- Who's she? - You have an idea about us, don't you? - You'll get hurt.
- I'm already hurt.
You want to be the most powerful person in the country.
Oh, I think it's required of me.
Can she win? She'd need all our support.
- She's dangerous.
- Dangerous to you.
You're romantically involved with a homeless man.
His name's Scott.
- Stay here alone? - It's not about you.
There must be another role we can find in your business.
If he's not going to run the business, he can't be in the business.
He's got nothing else.
He has nothing else! Then he needs to find something else.
This programme contains very strong language What about medication? He's refusing antidepressants.
Well, he's not allowed to refuse.
Caden must give his consent.
I'm his mother! I give MY consent.
I'll sign whatever papers.
If he refuses, we'll force him.
He won't train, he won't study, he won't write.
Yeah.
He won't speak.
When I speak to him, he doesn't listen.
His eyes, they're dead.
- We're losing him.
- What do they say? There's nothing they can do.
Nothing? There's never nothing I don't accept that.
But, I mean, it's not their fault.
Patients need something to live for.
They need a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
An army, a country.
I mean, what does Caden have? He has us.
But he's not going to get better for us.
I can't motivate him.
I can't fix him.
Nor can you.
He's got to find that from inside.
He doesn't have it.
I made a terrible mistake.
Please.
Please.
OK, he can't run your business.
He's never going to run your business.
He'll accept that.
No.
But can't we create him a new role? I'll think about it.
Your charity work, or something international.
You know, something in that team? I mean, that's something good, - it's something different - You think those jobs are easy, or softer? - Do you suggest something? - A fake job with a fake title in an office somewhere where the phone never rings, with an assistant he doesn't need? Would Caden? Would he even believe it? He's fading away.
What can I offer him after I offered him the world? He had it right there in his hands, he could have done anything.
And now he can't.
And he's depressed.
I would be depressed, you would be depressed.
But he doesn't know how to live without you.
He's free of me now.
He's got to figure it out.
Save him.
I don't know how.
It's here.
Just wait there.
Scott? We'd like to talk to you.
Fuck off.
Shit.
Where is he? Where the hell is he? Scott? OK.
It's just here, mate.
Come on.
Let's get you inside.
I tried.
It's not your fault.
You did nothing wrong.
I was broken long before you.
Yeah, you were fixed, too.
It's not easy being the best part of someone's life.
Like you're responsible for their happiness.
There wasn't a second when I didn't think it would end.
What if I told you I needed your help? What could you need from me? You put your life back together from nothing.
You were sober, you'd recovered.
That man has gone.
Well, can you find him? I can try.
My son's at a rehabilitation centre near here.
He's given up.
He won't listen to me, he won't listen to anyone.
You know, what do I know about despair? What do I know about having nothing? But you know.
You beat it.
What are you asking me to do? Talk to him.
Tell him it's possible.
And that's why you found me? Yes.
Not because you were concerned about me? - I was concerned.
- But that's not why.
No.
How bad is he? He's dying.
Caden? Caden? Caden? I'd like you to meet my friend.
His name is Scott.
Hi Caden.
I'm Scott.
I-I'm a friend of your mum.
I've been homeless for three years.
Not easy to talk about.
I lost everything my job in finance my house, my wife.
I don't even own the clothes I'm wearing.
Y-Your Your mum got them for me.
You fucked Mum.
We were together for a time.
- We're friends.
- No.
It is, i-it's the truth.
No, you fucked your mum.
You fucked your mum.
Caden, cut it out.
- Look - Caden.
he knows.
- Scott has come here to talk to you - He knows.
- about his - He stole her money and spent it on the stock market to cover his losses.
She is old.
You tricked her, lost her house.
Now, she lives poor and alone.
You fucked your mum.
And you fucked my mum.
You are a motherfucker.
OK, let's take a break.
You are a mother Stop! You lie! You lie! You're lying! You're bloody lying! - Calm down! - Get him out of here! - I'll take him out the way.
- Just calm down.
You know.
- You know! - What is wrong with you? What are you doing?! Who are you? I'm sorry.
I lost control.
I have no excuse.
I warned you he says anything.
He has no filter.
How is he? He'll be fine.
What I'm about to say is not an excuse.
There are no excuses.
What he said in there is true.
It's the worst thing about me.
It's one thing I've never been able to accept about myself.
And how does he know? Well, I told you over and over he says outrageous things.
About us, sleeping together.
About my mum.
No-one knows.
Kathryn, she doesn't even know.
She thinks it was the run of bad luck.
I hid it from everyone cos I should be in jail.
I should be locked up for what I did to her.
I stole from my mum.
I can't see her again, knowing how I cheated her.
And no-one knows.
Kathryn, if no-one knows, how does your son know? Who did you annoy? Well, for a politician, I'm not always good at the politics.
- That could be a problem.
- Not for my electorate.
Erm, you sat on a parliamentary select committee that looked into the practices of the press.
- I did.
- And give them a clean bill of health.
- I made some recommendations.
- Minor stuff.
I've learned over many years, you do what you can.
What were your real findings? Well, why don't you tell me yours? We're investigating, among other things, the illegal acquisition of confidential information.
Intercepted data, phone calls, hacked voicemail, faked e-mails, sabotage, blackmail all carried out by a nationwide network of private detectives operating outside of any laws.
Without any oversight.
Working so closely with the real police that there's no meaningful distinction between them.
Providing loyal MPs with damaging information on their opponent.
While having their own damaging revelations ghosted away.
A network that protects anyone on the inside and attacks anyone on the outside.
Well.
Anyone can tell a story.
Why don't you tell us yours? A man and a woman walk into a garage with a wheelbarrow full of loose parts.
They tell the mechanic they want to sell him a car.
They just need someone to put all the parts together.
The mechanic politely points out that they don't have a car.
They just have a wheelbarrow full of junk.
Will you help us? What's in your file? Craig? What have they got on you? A whitewash for a whitewash? No-one would ever accuse a man in an office like this of being corrupt, would they? Maybe you're better at the politics than you like to admit.
What are you hoping to achieve? You might be able to pick off some low-lying fruit, a few private detectives, a few crooked police officers, they lose their job, you ruin their lives.
Might even ruin the life of a politician or two.
So what? You want change, there's only one way.
And what way is that? You need someone from the very top of that organisation to talk.
An insider, whistle-blower.
Someone who can lay it all out, testify on record.
And why would such a person, if they existed, ever talk to you? - Oh, er - Which one? - That one.
- OK.
All right.
I was seven years old when we visited our relatives in Ghana for the first time.
Outside of Tamale in the north of the country.
Uh-huh? When we returned to England, I said to my father, "Why do we never visit the English countryside?" Do you know what he said? "We wouldn't be welcome.
" Mm.
I loved my father very much, but I refuse to say those words to my children.
Ah, it's a shame he never saw you become Prime Minister.
He was with me the night I was elected as an MP.
- Came to the Houses of Parliament.
- Yeah? Standing in that chamber, he took my hand like he were my child - and I was his father.
- Ah.
Well, if you'll forgive me, it was a long time ago.
Yes, it was.
You've had ten years.
It's a lot to ask a country for another five.
15 years of one man.
How many years has the country had of you, Max? Angela is already running one of the most divisive campaigns this country has ever seen.
She might argue a divisive campaign for a divided country.
She's telling people, good people, fair-minded people, that something has been taken from them.
That other people's achievements have come at their expense.
Not that we can rise up together, but that to rise, someone else must fall.
When you won your seat in Parliament, you made your family part of your campaign.
I never intended to run for a third term.
Oh, your sense of duty compels you? Yes, it does.
It actually does, Max.
Can you believe that? It's not about what you want.
What do the people want? Tolerance won't put food on the table, or a roof over their head.
People are hungry, Prime Minister.
And some believe that you are more concerned with trying to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Max are you actually considering endorsing her? Might be just so.
Yeah.
Your kids here? - Thank you.
- No, they're not with us today.
No? Well, I hear that Saif is just starting at Cambridge, - that's amazing.
- Mmm.
Congratulations.
To everybody.
- He's studying to be a doctor.
- Yeah.
We hardly see him any more.
He prefers it that way, he's much happier.
Well, he's a remarkable young man.
It can't be easy, following in his father's footsteps.
- Why do you say that? - Well, for the last ten years, every journalist has been waiting for you to slip up.
Scandals human failings, apparently, you have none.
I was allowed none.
Must be hard, for a son to have a perfect father.
Yes.
Being the son of a prominent father is hard.
You've given up.
Right? Right? It's pretty clear you want the whole world to know you're done.
End of the road, finished.
I can't do this.
I get it.
I understand.
So, let's do it.
Let's fucking do it, me and you, right now.
Do Do what? Die.
Really? Are you Are you serious? Are you? You You want to die? What do you want? What do we do? That should be enough.
Put it around your head.
You know we won't be able to surface, unless we unclip our weights? What about you? I want to know too.
Ready? Will you be here when I wake up? No.
Then I won't sleep.
You're tired.
I want to stay up all night.
Talking.
What'll we talk about? Do you have family? None that visit.
I joined the army to have a family.
How will you feel? About? Us two, tomorrow.
I don't feel anything.
No, I don't believe you.
We had sex.
And tried to kill ourselves.
I've done that with a lot of guys.
You were my first.
I warned you.
- About? - Getting hurt.
- I'm already hurt.
- Not like this.
- Like what? - You've never been in love.
No.
No, I've never been in love.
You should.
You'd be great at it.
But not with me.
It's It's been a long time since I've looked forward to tomorrow.
You don't have to keep me around.
Do you want to leave? No.
Well, it's a big house.
Why don't you stay? Till you're ready.
I could do with the company.
I'd like to talk to Caden again.
Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea.
I owe him an apology.
He won't give you one.
Been thinking about that.
It was his job.
To find out other people's secrets.
He investigated me when he knew we were seeing each other.
Yeah.
You asked me here to help you with your son.
I'm telling you, a-as a friend you don't get it.
Do you? This isn't about my secrets.
This is about his.
Give it everything.
That's it, that's good.
That's really good.
Keep going, it's all you.
Keep going.
OK.
Back down.
Back down.
That's great.
OK, keep going.
Hi.
He's doing really well.
I'm really pleased.
- Hi.
- Hi! I never meant to hurt you.
I know that.
I've hurt so many people.
B-But now I want to love someone.
H-Her name is Orla.
It's a nice name.
I know e-everything about everyone, but I know nothing about her.
- Does she love you? - No.
But you hope? Yes.
I hope, Mum.
I am hopeful.
That's good! I worry, too.
About? The things I've done.
What things? If she knew what I'd done What have you done? .
.
then no-one could love me.
Caden.
What have you done? I-I have ruined people.
I-I have ruined people.
What does that mean? You've ruined people? Found out everything.
But that was your job.
Not like this.
No rules, no laws.
Did anything.
He tells her everything.
How does she react? She's confused.
She thinks he's confused.
She's not sure what to believe.
She doesn't believe it yet.
She will.
Can I speak freely? Your son can't be trusted.
No.
He's a threat, Max.
Six weeks ago, my son suffered a stroke.
It's a parent's duty to look after their kids.
Protect them.
And I failed.
No Dad, I failed.
No, you didn't.
Give me that There you go.
No Dad, I failed.
.
.
to look after their kids.
Protect them.
And I failed.
No Dad, I failed.
Keep going.
Good girl! Found it! - Yeah! - Yeah! - Mummy! - She took it off her travel bag.
Well, you can have it.
Of course you can.
But we need to change the name inside.
- Don't we?! - Yeah! Yes! Hmm? Change your name.
You want to be just like Mummy, don't you? Yeah! Yes! You're going to be someone different, aren't you? Yep.
- Someone better.
- Yeah! Why are you so down on yourself? What if I told you my papers were considering endorsing Angela? I'd tell you a lot of people are going to vote for her.
- Like who? - People like me.
If I was still cleaning offices.
Mum, you never would have voted for her.
I don't know.
If I was still in my 30s, earning nothing I'd be crying out that things needed to change.
It can't go on like this.
Living on so little.
And she's the only one listening.
She claims she's not a politician.
Well, people like that about her.
A businesswoman who ended up in politics by accident.
Right? What if she always wanted power? What if power was the plan all along? Her businesses were never about profits, they were about ideas? They were a platform to launch her political career.
That would make her someone very determined.
There aren't many men in your position who would have made the journey.
Well, I had a feeling that you'd be showing me something more than a spotless factory floor.
I hope you don't a mind short walk.
Oh, we're not going inside? This is more than just a factory.
It's a place to work, yes.
It's also a place to live.
So you built all these? - On land no-one wanted.
- Ah.
For people no-one cared about.
It's a home.
A good family home for £80,000.
And all your employees get a house? Oh, after completing a full year, all my colleagues can apply to Colleagues? Yeah, I call them colleagues rather than employees.
So this this application process involves what? Well, you have to earn the right to move into one of these homes.
- A-ha.
- Morning.
Yeah, to prove themselves? Is that what you mean? Loyalty, dedication.
These are men and women who can't get credit, can't get loans.
I'm the only one that's ever trusted them.
What if it goes wrong? If they lose their jobs.
People don't lose their jobs when it's also their livelihoods.
Of course they do! Things fall apart, people People lose everything.
What are you going to do, evict them? - It's never happened.
- No, but could you do it? Could you tell a family to leave, make them homeless? The people I help know exactly what I'd do if they ever let me down.
Look at our productivity rates this country has some of the worst in Europe.
My companies have some of the best.
You know, you sound a lot more like a benefactor than a boss.
It's not enough to say to people, "Here's your money.
"Sorry there's nowhere to live, sorry there's a housing crisis - "but that's not my problem.
" - Hm.
- Their problems are my problems - Mm.
.
.
and I won't sit on the sidelines and hope someone else comes up with a solution.
Maybe that's why I got into politics in the first place.
Maybe.
People often ask me what my investment philosophy is - I don't have one.
- Mm.
I have instincts.
I need to walk around a problem, I need to pick it up, feel it.
I can't do things from far away, I don't do theory.
What does that mean, you don't do theory?! I can't solve problems by reading a book.
I don't have any idea how to fix the Middle East peace process - I don't live there.
How would I know? I know Britain, I know my home - Mm.
- .
.
I know my people.
Well, countries are connected, people are, too.
Maybe they don't want to be.
The houses are lovely.
- Do any of you live there? - No.
- No.
- Oh.
You don't like them? We're contractors.
You have to be employed by the factory to get a house.
You have to be a colleague.
And who else is a contractor? Uh, cleaners, security.
Is everything OK? Yeah, everything's fine.
I like my news to be right.
As in, correct.
Right for who? The people who buy it.
The people who make it possible, by watching it, consuming it.
I work for them, I don't make them work for me.
A news channel that's always on your side - Mm-hm.
- .
.
always your friend.
News that's never going to call you stupid or criticise your faith, or make you feel small.
Except our regulations won't allow it.
Not on TV.
I parted ways with an editor of mine once terrific guy, had to let him go.
Under his stewardship, sometimes the paper criticised the government, sometimes it praised the government, and I said, "Wait, wait a minute, this is confusing.
"Which side are you on?" - He says to me, "The side of truth.
" - Hm.
"And truth is uneven, unpredictable.
" And I went, wait, no, no, no, wait a minute! No, that is not the truth.
It's a brand of truth, it's a brand elite intellectuals like to buy.
Now, if we were selling to those folks, we'd be perfectly fine, but we weren't.
We were selling to people who wanted certainty, who wanted wanted continuity, they wanted to know who their enemies were.
They want to pick up the paper and feel comfortable.
You know, like they were with an extraordinary old friend.
What did he say? He said it sounded like propaganda.
What do you think it sounds like? Sounds fine to me.
This general election is the most important in a generation.
The choice is clear.
Hope or fear? The opposition party have been spreading a message of fear.
They seek to divide rather than include.
Choose hope.
You trusted me to make this a better country.
And it is better, and fairer, but it's not enough.
It's nowhere near enough.
You want more.
I want more for you.
For all of you.
The people who vote for me and the people who don't.
We have achieved so much together.
And I still have so much more work to do.
I will not trade favours for favourable coverage.
I will not win at any cost.
This country is not for sale.
Our democracy is not for sale.
I'm going to win, Max.
And when I do, I'm going to break your empire into little pieces.
- Not because I'm angry - No? You sound angry.
.
.
but because she's dangerous.
And you know that, don't you? Have you ever considered the fact that you might be out of touch? That my headlines only have power when they're true? That you don't understand the pain of the people any more? And while you continue to rip up your country's favourite newspaper because your pride is hurt, their hurt is real.
I don't know what she's promised you.
- But when you lose - I can't lose.
I'm not running.
.
.
and you will lose, the myth of your influence will die.
Your greatest trick was always picking the winning side, Max, and making them believe that you won it for them.
You're right, you're right.
My readers decide.
I only pick the winner.
And this time, it's not you.
Hi.
Hello.
We were at some of the same parties once upon a time.
I remember.
I know your work very well.
I'm a great admirer.
That's kind.
They said you've got an interview arranged with Caden about recovering from a stroke? It's called blagging, and I'm ashamed to admit it.
But the cause is a good one.
And what is that? Has Caden ever spoken to you about his work? You'll have to be less vague.
Well, people say all kinds of things after a stroke.
What have you heard? I've spoken to people.
Staff at Caden's first hospital.
A nurse who claims he said, "I did your phone.
" Do you have any idea what that means? It's a strange phrase.
If you ever want to arrange an interview about recovering from a stroke - Yeah.
- Max? - We need to talk.
- It's not a good time.
The three of us.
He's told me everything.
All right.
I'm on my way.
Text me the address.
- Keys in the car? - They are.
It's all right.
I'm going to take it.
OK, thank you.
I'll have him back tonight.
Family matter.
How was Dad on the phone? Quiet.
Quiet? You don't know him, Mum.
I don't know him? I lived with your father for 14 years.
Yeah.
But you don't know him.
Not like this.
Not the man who's about to arrive.