The Last Post (2017) s01e04 Episode Script

1 Merry Christmas, everyone.
Are you going to be a mummy? Alison told me about the baby.
It's not Ed's.
I'm going to tell him.
Joe? Did you deal with that reporter? - Yes, sir.
- Reporter? Did you tell your wife where you were going on Christmas day? We've got him, Joe -- the Paras picked him up last night.
Kadir Hakim.
I was wrong.
What? Hang on, I don't understand.
Do not read this until tomorrow.
See you on the other side.
George?! He's probably just playing somewhere.
If he's with Yusra, then he's safe, erm, they'll have gone somewhere together.
He was wearing a red football shirt, with a number seven on the back.
The phone call was anonymous.
The parcel was on my bed in my room.
They've taken him.
They've got George.
Oscar Two Mike, this is Kilo One Charlie.
Visibility poor, conditions worsening.
Proceeding with search.
'Roger that, over and out.
' Sir? Hmm? You've been up all night.
You should be with Mary.
As soon as we hear anything - Sir.
- I didn't want him to go.
It was the BP Club.
I mean, you couldn't have known a thing like this would happen.
I'm an officer in the British Army -- I'm a military policeman to my core and I'm a father.
It's who I am.
It's what I'm for.
And I let this happen.
This is suicide! Slow down maybe, Sarge? I know my way into Crater, Orchover.
Armstrong! Mary? Where's Green Teddy? I don't know.
Did he take him? - We have to try and - When he went to the BP Club, did George have Green Teddy? - Mary - Please tell me, darling, the answer to my question.
Er I don't think he had Green Teddy, no.
George didn't take him -- neither of us have moved him.
Yusra? How could I have been so wrong about her? She's been tricking you.
She gained our trust, she got close to George, so that So that She was laughing once, about her little brother being naughty.
Yes, that's all part of it.
She wanted us to think - that her family life was - Under a market stall, she said.
He ran from their house, to get away from their mother - and hid under a stall in the market.
- In Crater? - Yes.
Which market? A stall selling what? Think, Mary.
She said oranges.
'Oscar Three Mike.
'Target identified, south of fruit market.
Copy, over.
' Kilo One Charlie copies.
Roger that, over.
The streets immediately south of the fruit market.
- The Royal Scots are covering that sector.
- Change of plan! Aden where East meets West.
Vital as an oil refinery as well as a Gulf trade route.
The beach here at Aden is lovely The sand is warm and the sharks are not always hungry.
The occasional outbreaks of violence are caused by what are officially called dissident tribesmen.
As long as there's trouble, there must be troops.
The Queen has full confidence in Aden's future, describing it as the perfect example of colonial rule.
On me! Fall in! Move out! I'll say this once.
Don't not hear me.
There are six streets running south from this market.
I want six pairs, a street each.
Door to door, no knocking and waiting, we're in fast.
I don't want anyone inside having a second to think.
This is the CO's boy.
We've got to bring him home.
Have you got that?! - Yes, sir! - Good.
Corporal -- twos, please.
Sir! Sir! - Yes? - Yusra and George are more like friends than That woman's in on this and you'd better start getting your soft head around it, Armstrong.
Let's go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Orchover! Squad! Move it! Yusra.
Yusra? Don't move! Stay there.
I said don't move.
What's he saying? - ~ - Yusra? We're looking for Yusra.
Sit down.
- Sit down! - Steady, Sergeant.
- SIT DOWN! - Sarge! I think they want us to close the door -- the sand.
I have to talk to you, about what happened at the BP Club.
I mean, what you saw in the moments leading up to What was so important that you couldn't bring George swimming? You promised him.
I had to speak to someone.
Who? A reporter.
Martha Franklin.
Christmas Day, I don't understand.
We have a small child to find.
I haven't got time You were at the party and you left me, without telling me, as if I didn't exist, I don't exist.
Am I doing something wrong, Joe? All right.
If you want an answer, here's your answer.
Photographs of Corporal Dimarco.
What, what, what photographs? Of his head! On a stake! His head jammed on the end of a stake.
Do you know what that looks like? Can you imagine? I'm sorry.
I had to get back the film and I had to destroy it.
I thought you'd drowned.
I thought my husband had died.
I can't ask permission from my wife for everything that I do.
No.
No, but why are you so far away from me? What's happened? I thought we were happy? Is it me? Joe? Is it you? I'm going back.
Love letters straight From your heart Keep us so near While apart I'm not alone in the night When I can have all the love I memorise Every line And I kiss the name That you Clear! Yusra? Do you know Yusra? Stoneham.
Stoneham! What is it? It's his.
What? It's George's.
Yankee Two Golf, this is Three Whisky Tango.
Immediate backup requested.
Sparrow's nest identified.
Ready to copy, over.
'Yankee Two Golf, Affirmative, over.
' - Stoneham, I can't - Whisky Three Golf, third down on the left Stoneham, shut up! I'm trying to tell what they're saying! One male, one female, and their son.
Over.
Whisky Three Tango.
Negative.
Just get here, can you? Out.
They're one minute out.
The boy.
They've taken the boy.
What's happening? How did you get this? How did you GET this? Was George here!? GEORGE! Where the hell is he? Will you please shut up?! Go.
Go.
Go! Yusra? Where's Yusra? Yusra! What's she saying, Armstrong? What does she keep saying? They've taken her son Malik.
They've taken him.
We're taking them in.
Let's go.
LET'S GO! You -- come with me.
Come on, come on - Yusuf! - Shut up! Get her fingers off that door, Armstrong.
Just do it! Stop! Stop or I'll shoot! I made a cake for Mary.
I can't get it out of the tin.
You're an angel.
'Oscar Three Mike.
This is Kilo One Charlie.
'Mother plus brother, Sparrow detained, over.
' Kilo One Charlie.
This is Oscar Three Mike.
Copy, out.
They've captured Yusra's family.
They're bringing in mother and the brother.
All leave is cancelled and I've set a curfew for off-duty personnel and all dependents at 1800 hours.
"Personnel" - What? - Oh, the, er The army gets formal in an emergency.
Language has to be precise and accurate so nobody misunderstands anything.
"Dependent" -- Alison? Dependent? What's the word you'd use? 'Oscar Three Mike.
This is Kilo One Charlie.
Father Sparrow down.
'CDK fire.
Now five minutes away, over.
' Kilo One Charlie.
Roger, Out.
Civilian fatality.
Yusra's father.
It wasn't us -- Royal Scots.
They're five minutes out.
We should let the CO know.
Have you spoken to Mary Markham? Late last night.
How is she? She made me a cup of tea.
And apologised for the powdered milk.
They're remarkable -- both of them.
Really strong.
The stiffer the upper lip, the wobblier the lower one.
You could call it backbone.
You could call it the courage to lead from the front.
How old are you? - Why? - I'm just thinking about the life experience of our new acting CO.
Major Markham remains in command.
But you've set up a curfew and the Crater search unit is reporting to you.
Happy to receive advice, Laithwaite.
Happy to offer it.
Call me Ed.
You don't know, do you? You don't even know he exists.
He's your brother.
He's your lovely, big .
.
very brave, brother.
Major Markham? Yes? Mr Tilbrook has requested that you come with us.
Er, give me a moment? I have to go.
They want me now.
We're good at this.
It's a make do and mend recipe from the war.
It's called curdle cake, because the milk has curdled.
My mother put it in the book for me.
Book? How to be a good housewife.
You miss her, don't you? Has Ed ever lied to you? All the time.
Not meaningfully.
Have you ever lied to him? Well, this cake REALLY doesn't want to come out.
Who's with the CO? High Commission? These people will talk, sir.
I know they will.
There's an interpreter on the way.
Use Ed.
Let's get on with it.
Use Lieutenant Laithwaite.
- Sir.
- Major Markham? And where are you going, sir? Hush-hush.
Good.
Why? Because it's obviously coming from the top, sir.
We're good at this.
Sir.
We brought you a cake.
From the 1940s.
When everything was better, apart from the Nazis and the revolting food.
Do you think he's dead? No.
Are you just saying that? No.
You'd taken a shine to her, hadn't you? I got lost, on the beach at St Ives once.
What happened? Oh, they found me.
Six-year-olds are tough.
Resilient.
Adaptable.
How? When I got lost, I was eating fish and chips.
Loads of sea gulls kept dive-bombing me like Stukas, cos I was crying so much and dropping the chips everywhere.
So the, er, the whole beach came to my rescue.
It's funny what you remember -- I don't really remember the sea gulls, or being reunited with Mum and Dad.
But I do remember the feeling of being lost.
Come on They don't seem to know where Yusra is.
They're terrified, they're not talking.
They know something.
We need to make them tell us what it is, sir.
What are you saying we do, Baxter? Say what you actually mean, Sergeant.
I mean, spit it out and then we can have a damned good look at what it is.
God knows what they're doing to the CO's little boy.
What harm did a little active interrogation See, there you go again, you can't say it.
Active interrogation? Look, my father used to take my wrists and squeeze them when he wanted me to tell him something.
If I didn't tell him right away, he'd squeeze harder.
Never failed.
A sore wrist, maybe a little red mark for a couple of days, against a six-year-old boy that's been stripped away from his family.
What matters more? If you don't mind me asking, sir? Well, go ahead, Sergeant.
Why don't you hurt the 12-year-old? The child would be the easiest to crack, wouldn't you say? If you don't mind my asking? Release them.
The NLF will know that we've arrested them and they'll want to know if they've told us anything.
So they'll be paying them a visit.
Stake out Yusra's home in order to see who visits and then we'll follow them when they leave, which might lead us to George.
Or they could disappear and our only line of inquiry would disappear with them.
What would you tell the Major then, sir? Do it.
Let them go.
Baxter? Sir? Tell him.
Tell the boy.
Tell him what, sir? That his father's dead.
You just have to let it cool down and then it pops out.
George's lilo.
He liked the blue side up, Harry liked the red side.
- They'd have joke fights about it - It was my fault.
I was the one who suggested that he came with us -- it was It was up for me to look after him.
No, no, no, no, no.
No.
Would you like a cuddle? Yes, please.
I meant Oh! I love this little chap with all my heart and without condition, which is funny, because he doesn't care at all about how I'm feeling.
The world keeps turning.
"If equal affection cannot be "Let the more loving one be me.
" Hmm, Auden.
Well, he's wrong.
Jesus Christ, he's wrong.
Pop Peter down in his cot for me, would you, Honor? Yeah.
Take the U out of Auden and what do you get? I wasn't supposed to have a second baby.
George was a difficult birth and the doctors at home told me not to do it again.
Our first week here, the grenade attack killed the little Guthrie lad and I thought how unbearable it would be to .
.
to lose George and not have I didn't tell Harry about it.
I got pregnant quite soon after that.
A mother's love for her children is A child changes everything, Al.
Have you seen the doctor? Three o'clock.
She's told you the news.
Isn't it wonderful? I couldn't have put it better myself.
Wonderful.
- Why am I here? - You're not.
Nobody must know about this.
I'm afraid I don't quite follow you.
We thought you might like half an hour on your own with him.
With who? Is there an interpreter? He speaks English.
Law at the LSE, political science at the Sorbonne, and bomb making in Cairo.
He knows where George is, doesn't he? We think so, Harry.
Please.
Sit down.
You are my guest.
As you please.
I apologise, I don't have any tea to offer you.
You know why I'm here.
Is my son alive? You care deeply about your son.
Will you answer my question, please? At this moment of time, there is not a reason to kill him.
I can see you don't like me talking about him as a small part of the bigger picture.
He's a child, damn it.
We've taken your son, and you have taken my country.
Without a doubt, both are very valuable.
However, one is more valuable than the other.
I can see you are endeavouring against all the odds to remain objective.
So, it is with that spirit that I ask you to answer my one question.
Which is more valuable? What do you want? My country back.
What do you want? Perhaps we can arrange for a swap.
Your son for my country.
Since you argue they are of equal value.
Tell me where he is.
I can't do that.
Tell me.
I was arrested before he was taken.
But you know he's alive, don't you? We are finished.
You may leave.
You can't talk to me like that.
You can't do this, you bastard.
You do not exist.
You are not here.
Where's my son?! I can't see you, and I can't hear you.
You are not here.
I'm sorry.
Quite understand, old chap.
Not enough.
Not doing enough.
Hello.
Yes, I'd like to talk to Martha Franklin, please.
Sir? A word? Please.
Armstrong? What I'm about to tell you, you've got to promise not to tell anyone.
The army doesn't really work like that.
It's not It's people.
It's just people, sir.
Hello? Alison? Why didn't you give me this before? I didn't read it.
She told me not to until after Christmas.
She said that? She wouldn't have anything to do with this, sir.
I think the NLF took Malik to force Yusra.
This suggests you're wrong about that.
Look, I don't know what or how, but I could bet my life on there being an explanation Your life? You'd bet your life? Sir.
How foolish people get, Armstrong.
In love, it's when you can be most wrong about someone.
You promised you wouldn't say anything.
Yes, I did.
And I won't.
What are you doing? I need your help -- fixing something.
- Did anyone see you come in? - Probably.
- Ed, you can't just come in here.
- But look, here I am.
How old's your son? Five, five years old.
So he's a year younger than George Markham.
You know, it's hard for me to imagine what it would be to lose a son.
It's easier for you.
No.
You have to find George Markham.
~ When was your son taken? - Two days.
- What did you say? Two days.
Not-not yesterday? No.
Not yesterday.
Before.
Before George? ~ Never mind.
He went before George.
Before George.
Look, I know I shouldn't be here, it's not my place, ma'am, but have you seen your husband? No.
The office? No, he's nowhere on the base, ma'am, so I thought he must be at home.
No.
No.
OK.
Sorry.
Is Honor allowed out to play? I bought coffee.
Why do you assume I'm going to help you? Well, because he's a six-year-old child.
I'm not part of the story, Joe.
I'm just in the world, with my eyes wide open, looking for truth.
Well, what the truth is depends entirely on who's looking at it, wouldn't you say? Yusuf Ali had a younger sister called Fatima, who loved him more than anything in the world.
Their father died a year ago, dropped dead in the fields, so Yusuf was the one the family relied on for income.
I don't know who this is.
No? It's a man you shot dead on the Dhala Road four days ago.
He was 19.
Sure, poor George.
Poor everyone, Joe.
Poor everybody.
Well, this is war.
Men get killed.
And children get taken from their parents.
C'est la vie, c'est la guerre.
I'd better go.
You better had.
God forbid you should talk about yourself.
Hmm? I took a look at your story.
Poor Valerie Cotton.
Poor Joe.
That was a long time ago.
What about you? Why are you here? This is my hotel room.
I live here.
You see What? Well, you keep telling me how direct and honest and American you are, and how buttoned up and British I am, but when it comes down to it Same boat.
Hmm.
Poor us.
Ready? Can I get you anything? Gin and tonic? Rain.
Mrs Laithwaite.
Just Mrs Laithwaite, I think.
Good luck.
I have a difficult question to ask.
Ask away.
I'm pregnant.
Why don't we take a look? - What? - Ladies can be wrong about these things.
We don't want a whole conversation about something if it's not there to be talked about, do we? Pop up on the bed for me.
I think I can safely say You've been drinking.
Yes.
In the day time? Yes.
Why? Oh, I always drink in a sandstorm.
Have you felt any movement? A little.
Here? Yes.
- And here? - It's a kind of flutter.
Right.
- Maybe he likes a drink.
- He? Or she.
It's not what you think.
This isn't the way we came.
No.
Are you all right? Alison? The desert's so beautiful late in the day.
The curfew will start soon.
And then you die.
What? You live your life according to the rules and then you I want to sit in the desert as the sun goes down and feel the heat leave the earth.
Are you coming with me? Yes.
Yes, please.
Anything? Where did they take you? I can't say.
I know I'm not supposed to know things or to ask questions, and I've always tried to make it easy for you.
But this is our son, Harry.
You have to talk to me.
Yes, I'm sorry.
High Commission people? Something like that.
Are you all right? I've let myself down a bit, Mary.
I'm sure you haven't.
I didn't give you your Christmas present.
George wrote the label.
Well, we'll have to work on his capital letters when he gets home.
What is it? Open it and see.
It's just a shaving brush.
It's from Old Bond Street.
It's just a shaving brush, darling.
We should have heard.
That's what kidnappers do.
They make demands.
And they haven't.
'This next song is for George Markham from Mummy and Daddy and baby Peter.
Mummy's sorry she's been away for a long time but she's home now with her special boy.
And she's requested your favourite song to sing along to.
A bold hippopotamus They didn't know.
They weren't told, I suppose.
Put it on again, Harry.
A regular army of hippopotami All singing this haunting refrain That's you Mud, mud, glorious mud Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood So follow me, follow Down to the hollow And there let us wallow in glorious mud.
Do you know where we are? No.
How do we find our way home? Have you got it? Do you know where he is? They move him frequently.
Every few hours.
You have to move fast.
This is your one chance.
Oscar Three Mike.
This is Oscar Two Lima.
Possible location target.
Request backup, over.
Joe, I think it's George.
We've got him.
Oscar Two Lima.
This is Oscar Three Mike.
Wilco, out.
It's twins.
It's much too soon to tell for sure but early movement can often mean Oh, my goodness.
That's Crikey, Al, that's What are we doing here? We have to go back and tell Ed right away.
He doesn't know I'm pregnant.
I talked to him about it.
I talked about Oh, God, I Why haven't you talked to him? I don't want a baby.
I don't want two babies.
I thought I thought he knew.
I congratulated him.
Oh, he hasn't said.
Alison, why haven't? Shh.
Look.
Oscar Two Lima, this is Kilo One Charlie -- backup 20 minutes out.
Over and out.
George! George, come on.
Laithwaite!! Did you feel the heat leave? Did you know Corporal Dimarco? Not really.
He looked up my skirt once when he was doing press-ups.
Captain Page? I knew Nick Page.
He was one of twins.
Did you know that? That record I play Yes.
Would you sing it for me? It's not Ed's song, is it? Did you do this with him? With Nick? Just sing it, Honor.
Sing it and I'll never listen to it again.
Love letters straight from your heart Keep us so near when apart I'm not alone in the night When I can read all the love you write I memorise every line I kiss the name that you sign And, darling, when I start again Right from the start Love letters straight from your heart Keep us so near while apart I'm not alone in the night When I can have all the love you write That's not one of ours.
Let's risk it! STOPPP! Ed! Ed! Ed! And, darling, then I read again Right from the start Love letters straight from your heart.
They're offering a swap.
Kadir in exchange for George.
We don't talk to terrorists.
Why do they want to do this to us? It's the CO, sir, he's not himself.
Your husband is a hero.
Look! Here I am! A human being, all by myself.
You won't pull this off without me.
The two of us, we stand half a chance.
It's not a job for one man.
Englis! Englis! Tony.