Unspeakable s01e05 Episode Script

1 Ryan's had a fever for three days now.
His liver enzymes are elevated.
It's hepatitis.
Maybe you should take a leave If you want me out, you'll have to fire me.
My daughter just up and moves to Toronto.
She broke my heart.
Hey, Norm.
Unfortunately, you have tested positive for the HIV virus.
What right do you have not to tell me? You let me pass it on to my wife! [GLASS SHATTERING.]
Peter! How did I get here? Your dad brought you in.
[ALICE.]
: It doesn't matter if Peter wants our help or not.
Just do something, or I'm leaving you.
What are you thinking? I'm really only good at one thing.
We need some sort of clear record of what happened.
I agree, because despite everything we've been through, there is another battle brewing.
You're Peter Landry, right? Yeah.
Says here it's been over three years since your last appointment.
I got a cold a couple weeks ago, and the cough didn't go away.
I figured I should come in.
Right.
Gotta keep on top of that.
I'm Darby.
I'm a volunteer.
Welcome to Kmart.
Is your address still the same? Looks right.
Got your own place? Yeah.
Family in town? Yeah.
Are you close, keep in touch? My mom, sometimes.
And my sister.
What about your dad? Not really.
He couldn't even feed himself by the end.
I think he had a brother or something, but when I went to go see him, he was all alone.
Just lying there.
I'm sure that was hard on you.
Harder on him.
You know what, in some ways, I think it's better.
In what way? Being alone.
My friend, Andy you should have seen his mom.
You saw what it did to her, watching her son die.
You don't want to be a source of pain to your family.
For a long time, I thought the reason that my parents split up was because of me.
I eventually got the courage to ask my mother, and guess what? It wasn't you.
No, it was.
Turns out my father never wanted to have kids.
Peter I can't imagine it's ever better being alone.
No matter what.
I'm the nightmare, you understand? I'm their worst nightmare.
Help! Help! The doctor said it was stress.
Stress? Peter says he's not using.
I know it doesn't make sense, but other than low T-cells, his blood work was fine.
We wanted his attention.
Jesus.
Burning a federal minister in effigy, that's not the kind of attention we want, Jim.
It wasn't us.
It was the AIDS ACTION NOW protest.
The leaders of ACT were there.
So was Jack Layton.
Epp didn't respond to our Catastrophe Relief document.
Why should he respond to this? It's just going to make him more hostile to our cause.
Better hostile than indifferent.
Those aren't the only two options! It must give you hope to know new treatments are being developed.
I don't think about the future.
Oh, wait, is it self-pity day today? It must have slipped my mind.
You don't have to hang out with me, you know.
Why not? This is weird.
Weird how? Is something going on ? Like what? You know If circumstances were different.
Which circumstances? I mean, if I was, like, a nurse, or your social worker, or here on some official capacity, us going out would be kinda frowned upon, and a little creepy, but since I'm just a volunteer Aren't you studying to be a social worker? Yes, that's true, but I'm not your social worker.
Kinda feels like you're practicing on me.
Okay.
I'm sorry.
That's really not my intention.
Where were we? Oh, you were going to ask me out.
[BEER TOP SNAPS OPEN.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[DOT MATRIX PRINTER CLICKING AND WHIRRING.]
[LAWRENCE.]
: Ben laid it all out.
Now what? We need to consider our next move.
It's a landslide of evidence.
We killed ourselves putting together the Catastrophe Relief proposal, and that was just ignored.
Yeah, 'cause we kept it quiet.
We make enough noise, and these bastards can't ignore us.
He's right.
We make them look bad, we cost them votes.
Someone has to go public.
Myself, I don't care, but my daughter's got a boy.
This has been hard enough on my family without my daughter's friends finding out she's got two infected parents.
I don't have kids.
This document will provide the basis for the lawsuits I am launching as a private citizen against the Red Cross and the Government of Canada.
What are you asking for in damages? Three million dollars.
Can you give us a gist of what's in those documents? Well, the gist is thus far, 950 Canadian hemophiliacs have been infected by tainted blood, and no one will admit responsibility.
For years now, the Canadian Red Cross has clung to the notion that there was "no conclusive evidence" that AIDS was in the Canadian blood system.
We have gathered over 300 pages worth of evidence that we believe shows clear neglect and willful blindness.
And I'd just like to add that if the new, incoming health minister is willing to talk compensation for all those infected, I'd certainly reconsider this action.
Otherwise, I suspect that this document will be the basis for many lawsuits beyond mine.
It's not a religious song.
"Hallelujah"" Doesn't it literally mean "praise the lord"? Some people take it that way, but I think it's supposed to be saying that we should celebrate the beauty of everyday life.
Well, if there is a god or anything like it, he, she, you know, whatever, doesn't like me very much.
How about you? I'm just getting to know you.
[CHUCKLES.]
I mean, what do you believe? That's my way of avoiding the question.
Uh, truth is, I haven't figured it out yet.
Hey, I read about these trees.
You read about trees? It's one of the first AIDS memorials in Canada.
Some activists planted them a few years ago.
Sorry.
Must be tough to get it out of your head with people constantly bringing it up all the time.
Hey, listen What are we doing here? I thought we were on a date.
I'm an ex-junkie with HIV who had a seizure the first time we met.
Look, I'm just not that good with long-term commitment, okay? I figure with you, I've got a built-in hard out.
[LAUGHS.]
I'm glad you thought that was funny.
I was a little worried I'd crossed the line there.
Look, the real truth is the world sucks, people suck.
I'm lonely.
And you you feel things.
That's rare.
I'm not looking for a pity fuck.
Your loss, I guess.
Hey, wait up.
[BETSY.]
: Well, I-I don't understand what you're saying.
- We filed suit against Dr.
Unger.
- Correct.
Not telling you Arthur was infected with HIV makes him culpable for your infection.
Then there's the hospital.
That's where Arthur got the transfusion in the first place.
But the surprising thing is that the hospital has named the Red Cross, and they have named the provincial and federal governments.
That's not something that any of us foresaw.
If they're all responsible, then they should all pay.
Oh, we agree.
Right now, people think that AIDS happens to gay men, drug addicts, and hemophiliacs.
But your story shows that anyone anyone who needed a blood transfusion in the last decade is at risk.
So what you're saying is this has gotten a lot bigger.
Very much bigger.
[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING.]
My husband and I will soon be dead.
There is nothing that will change that.
We're here today to ask that the government and those responsible make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else.
This is amazing.
National coverage.
I was on the local news for two minutes.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm glad the story is breaking at this level.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's an adorable grandmother.
And a member of the general population.
This government has been criminally negligent! People with AIDS have died in this country without care and without treatment [CROWD CHANTING.]
Shame! Shame! This was the speech that all the activists and probably many people with AIDS have been wanting the Prime Minister or anyone in government to make for years.
Everyone has an interest in confronting AIDS, everyone has an interest in making sure that this illness is beaten once and for all [TURNS OFF TV.]
Where do we stand on the meeting with the Federal Health Minister? Uh, still in the works.
[LIGHTER CLICKS.]
Say the word.
If Beatty confirms, probably best to leave Jim here with me.
Probably.
The case you made is compelling.
Well, it's crucial we make up for lost time.
Other countries have already offered financial assistance.
It's already been a very long road to get to this point, and there are a lot of people who desperately need help.
Right now.
Let's see what we can do for them.
["ANGEL EYES" BY JEFF HEALEY PLAYS.]
Wait, wait, wait We've got this.
I can't think straight.
Well, good.
Stop thinking.
We're prepped.
We're being careful.
I just really need you to be okay.
I know.
Me too.
But I want to be close to you.
This is important to me.
I want to do this.
I've never done this before.
I know.
So, like, no promises.
[CHUCKLES.]
I love you.
- - Extraordinary Assistance Plan, my ass.
$120,000 over four years is nothing.
And what then? It's like they're counting on people dying.
Families are being devastated here.
I know, it's less than half what we asked for.
But it is the result of 18 months of lobbying, and it's it's unprecedented.
No such compensation has ever been awarded in Canada before for anything.
Beatty stressed to the Commons that it was "hardship assistance.
" They're taking no responsibility for any wrongdoing.
If this didn't have to do with the blood being tainted, then why aren't gay men with AIDS also included? Ben, it's something, okay? Victims who've got Hep C, like Ryan, are also not included.
It's bullshit! Dinner is getting cold.
It's a win.
I have to go.
I know it may not seem like it right now, but it is a win.
- Yeah, bye, Will.
- Merry Christmas? [DIAL TONE.]
- - What triggered this? Tell me.
It's over.
That's it.
I'm sorry.
This is the same thing that you did to your family.
You pushed them away because you didn't want to hurt them.
There you go.
You had me figured out from the start.
Peter you care about me.
As much as I care about you.
- I know you do.
- You're wrong.
I don't care about anybody.
Asshole.
Now you get it.
- - Hey, Sam, some kid just came in and gave me this.
Said it was a donation.
- Didn't want a receipt? - He wanted to know if we planted the trees in Stanley Park.
Hi.
How was your day? Oh, you know, all the things.
Groceries, laundry, staring out the window.
I did do some research into class action claims.
Oh? Well, you know, the only way you got the feds to cave was with the threat of all those lawsuits.
You need a lot more leverage to force the provinces to pay, but the problem is that people are still afraid to come forward.
But what if you could sue and remain anonymous? Certain courts have held that the anonymity of class representatives conflicts with their responsibilities, but I think you have a mountain of evidence to suggest that forcing someone to go public would actually exacerbate the alleged injury or harm.
I think it's worth trying.
Hey, Mom.
Hey, Dad.
We're gonna go up to my room and study.
Hi, Mrs.
Sanders, Mr.
Sanders.
Hi, Ruby.
Dinner will be ready in a half an hour.
[FOOTSTEPS RETREATING HASTILY.]
What, uh, what's going on there? I'm not sure.
He is aware that the jury's still out on whether Hep C can be transmitted sexually, right? Maybe you should talk to him.
I will.
I think you need to start coming to the CHS in an official capacity.
I was thinking about it.
Dust off that old law degree.
Paul could use the help.
This is taking a lot out of him, and we have windows you can stare out any time you want.
[LAUGHTER FROM UPSTAIRS.]
You really think they're studying? [ALARM CLOCK BLARING.]
in one year Connaught has wasted the equivalent of a five-month supply of Canadian plasma [ALARM CLOCK BLARING.]
[WILL STRATEGIZING.]
[SHOUTING.]
Don't open with "We respectfully"! We don't "respectfully" anything! God dammit! [ALARM BLARING.]
You can't send this.
Why not? "In France, hemophiliacs blew up - Michel Garetta's car.
" He's the, um - Director general for the National Center for Blood Transfusion.
It's not like he was in the car.
Right, but you want to send this to a government minister with one sentence scrawled below that says, "I hope this doesn't happen here.
" They have rejected every single proposal we've sent them.
What the hell else do you wanna do? You don't see the potential problem with this? No, I don't! Actually, I'm with Jim on this one.
Look, these people know us.
They should know this is not a threat.
It's a warning about how upset people are.
I'm sending it.
Thank you.
Good evening, it is an historic night for the NDP.
The country's socialist party has won its richest prize ever.
It's won the Ontario election, - and it's won it big - [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
Bob Rae [GENTLY.]
Hello, hello, hey.
Oh, Jimmy Hi.
I wish someone would have told me that this place was dress formal.
I woulda put on my Sunday best.
[CHUCKLING.]
- Oh - There you go.
Thank you.
They're beautiful.
Ah, nothing compares to you.
Please.
They've just been playing that song on the radio all damn day.
It's just driving me crazy.
[CHUCKLES.]
More of a Kenny Rogers fan myself.
[CLEARS THROAT AWKWARDLY.]
That is quite the dress.
Yeah.
Jessica she picked it out.
It's ridiculous, I know.
Still not too late to ditch this guy.
You know, Christ knows what you see in him.
Hmm? Can you believe this? Yeah.
Yeah, good for us.
New health minister.
Maybe this one will, um be a little more sympathetic.
Yeah, maybe a little less name-calling out of the gate this time.
Me? [CHUCKLING.]
Nothin' but charm.
Mm-hm She called me.
Who? Who do you think, doofus? Your ex.
What for? Just to see how you were doing.
Don't worry, I told her you spend every waking minute regretting you dumped her.
Shut up.
You didn't? What? No, stupid.
We talked about what an asshole you are.
She still loves you.
She say that? No.
But I'm not an idiot.
Look, I get giving away the money, okay? Sort of.
I mean, not really.
It was blood money.
They were paying me to just go away and die.
Peter eight years now you've had HIV.
You're still not dead.
You could probably use 30 grand, right? Yeah, that has crossed my mind.
I didn't want to give it to her.
Every time we kissed her, every time we Blah! Don't.
Please.
I couldn't bear the thought.
I assume you were careful.
Right? She knew all the risks, and she still chose to be with you.
That just makes her stupid.
[SCOFFS.]
Not as stupid as you.
Really? What, so I get no credit for wanting to not kill her Why don't you give us some credit? Huh? Stop making choices for everyone! Look, when something actually goes well, don't look for every reason you can find - to screw it up! - Aren't you listening? I don't want to hurt someone that I Love? Is that what you were gonna say? You don't want to cause someone you love pain? Then don't! God, when you love someone, you make it work! No matter what! Because you fucking love them, okay? Because because maybe that's all we really have worth living for! God You're quiet.
Just thinking I'd catch more with my rifle.
- You remember when - The boat? Not like you or your mother would ever let me forget that.
You, with one foot on the boat, one foot on the dock, as it slowly drifted away.
Only time in my life I ever did the splits.
I'm proud of you.
I don't know what you're talking about.
All that work you're doing, fighting for compensation.
It's nothing compared to what you've done.
Alone.
Without your mom and me to help you out.
The life you've built, that beautiful little boy.
I regret I can't do more.
Dad how did it go with the doctor? I've seen too many people taken down by this thing, and I will be god damned if it's gonna do the same to me.
So when the time comes I'm gonna choose how I go.
And I want you to know.
That's my choice.
When you're ready to go, you can come get it from me, okay? Deal.
Ann I'm sorry.
Lawrence Hartley's wife, Caitlin, just passed away.
["THIRTEEN" BY BIG STAR PLAYS.]
Won't you let me Walk you home from school? Won't you let me Meet you at the pool? Maybe Friday I can Get tickets for the dance And I'll take you Won't you tell your dad get off my back Tell him what we said 'bout "Paint It Black" Rock 'n' roll is here to stay Come inside where it's okay And I'll shake you Walk me home.
- - Interferon Alfa-2b.
It's actually produced naturally by the body to fight viruses.
We're just helping out with a bigger dose.
But I feel fine, though.
I mean, all my symptoms are gone.
Your Hep C is not acute, but it's still there doing damage to your liver.
What are the side effects? Oh, that, um, crappy feeling you get when you have a flu? It's actually a reaction to the interferon your body creates to fight it.
So most people feel feverish, nausea, some fatigue.
And the odds of success? Depends.
Tolerance to size of dose and duration of treatment.
Six months to a year gives us the best shot.
[SIGHS.]
A year of feeling like shit? Ryan.
It's certainly not a sure thing, but definitely worth doing.
That's 'cause you don't have to do it.
[RYAN SIGHS.]
[BEN.]
: In fact, French courts just convicted three high-level officials for distributing tainted blood, and here? Nothing.
Apparently, in Canada, it's nobody's fault.
La Presse in Montreal used excerpts from your father's book - in their article.
- [BEN.]
: It's not exactly a book.
It's more a factual history.
It was a ton of work.
Not much came of it.
[EMMA.]
: Maybe they wanna talk about something else? So, uh what's the special occasion? Hmm, besides all of us being in the same room.
Emma I just wanted to introduce you all to Darby.
Hey there.
Again.
[CHUCKLES.]
We just thought, um Uh Since we're going to be getting married [GASPING.]
Oh, my god.
Keep it together, Mom.
Did you know about this? [GIGGLES.]
Yeah.
So, we're getting married.
[ALICE.]
: Have you set a date? No, but we'd like it to be soon.
Isn't it great? Oh, of course! Oh, my gosh We're so happy for you.
You have no idea how hard it was to keep this a secret, you guys.
Obviously, we're thinking the wedding's gonna be pretty small.
It's gonna make a hell of a twist for Dad's new book, right? Mr.
Landry that sure sounds like something worth talking about.
Oh, please, call him Ben, and I'm Alice.
Pretty soon, it'll be Mom and Dad, right? What? It's a joke.
Jesus, lighten up.
I'm curious, how is our engagement a twist in this new book? It's more personal.
[PETER.]
: What does that mean? More about the people than the facts.
Their stories.
Our story? His perspective, as the father of a victim.
What it's like to have a fuck-up for a kid? You're not the only person who was affected by this, Peter.
Are you gonna tell the world what a screwed-up family we are? Or just me? How I got addicted to drugs? This was a mistake.
Excuse me.
Ben He can't publish without my permission.
No way.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Well, I think that went well.
[TELEVISION PLAYS.]
Life is becoming increasingly difficult for hemophiliacs who now have full-blown AIDS.
Two months ago, Janet and Randy Conners went public with their own terrible news.
Randy is a hemophiliac who used blood products that carried the AIDS virus.
He unknowingly passed the deadly virus onto his wife, Janet.
I'm not asking for a million dollars, I'm not asking for a lot of money or anything.
I just want my family I'm going to die soon, and I want my family to be looked after.
I think something an injustice has been done to me.
[REPORTER.]
: Compensation would ease Janet's main worry.
That we'll die, and not not leave our son cared for.
[BUREAUCRAT.]
: We can't commit to helping these people forever.
There's a process I can't do it anymore.
Only four more months.
Only four months? Do you know how long that sounds right now? I don't need a pep talk.
I'm a quitter.
I'm quitting.
I quit.
It's not worth it.
It is worth it.
You've come so far.
Come on.
[SIGHS WEARILY.]
- I hate everything.
- I know.
[WINCING.]
Ruby called.
Good for her.
She wanted to know if she should bring over her English notes.
I don't want to see anyone.
No matter how cute she is.
There is one more thing.
- I'm tired, Mom.
- I'll make it quick.
The House of Commons has assigned a sub-committee to investigate the safety of the blood system in Canada.
Tell them it sucks.
Actually, that's what I was thinking of doing.
Really? They're holding public hearings.
You have to do it.
Okay.
We recognize Mrs.
Margaret Sanders.
Good afternoon.
I did a bit of research before coming here today.
I know that you all have children.
How far would you go to keep your kids safe? Me, I simply asked my son's doctor to keep him on uh, Cryo precipitate.
I presume by now you all know what that means? We do, thank you.
I was told that I was being ridiculous.
I was a hysterical mother.
So we found a doctor who would let us do it and Ryan is probably with us today because of that.
Too many children aren't.
Ryan didn't get HIV, but he did get Hepatitis C, and right now he is suffering from the side-effects of interferon treatment.
Fever, fatigue, night chills, terrible headaches and nausea.
We're hoping that his chances of going to university haven't been compromised.
Right now, we're just grateful that he's with us.
Yes, money is the most urgent issue, but this is about more than money.
We also need to face up to this disaster and acknowledge that it didn't just happen.
We need to acknowledge every denial, every oversight, every act of willful blindness, not just to place blame, but to understand how and why.
Shame on those who made the decisions that compromised the safety of so many.
And if we allow this to happen again, to other children like yours, like mine, then shame on all of us.
[SIGHS.]
More than 1,200 Canadians have contracted AIDS not from high-risk activities, but from tainted blood or blood products.
Most were hemophiliacs, and until now, no one has ever received any compensation from a provincial government.
Well, today, Nova Scotia decided it will offer compensation, and as Patricia Chiu tells us, the province says it's a matter of compassion.
I expect there will be some flak [REPORTER.]
: George Moody says he doubts his provincial counterparts will be happy with him for breaking rank, but he says it was the right thing to do It's hard to believe the rest of the provinces are holding out.
They just refused to pay for newer, safer recombinant factor.
to look after their family, and that's basically all they're asking.
The request is very reasonable It is suddenly a different world, though, isn't it? People are finally standing up to fight.
They're calling it "the multiprovincial territorial assistance plan.
" 30,000 a year for four years.
Same as the feds' deal, right? Yeah, we're not going to accept it, though.
It's got to be for life.
Oh, the Red Cross has to be removed from the waiver.
Unless they want to kick in.
Nothing feels like it'd be enough.
We always thought because Ontario was the biggest, we'd have to wait for them to break.
Looks like the smallest made the difference.
Janet and Randy Conners to thank for that.
You understand this means you have to waive the lawsuit? We need the money.
It's only $30,000.
That's a lot to us.
It's only for Arthur.
They aren't covering spouses and children who became infected.
They aren't covering drugs and medical supplies.
It's a terrible deal.
They're only doing this because they know we can win.
This has been dragging on for years.
How many more is it gonna be? You're giving up your right to sue in future.
What future? A whole year of my life down the drain for nothing? Your liver enzymes have bounced back up.
The interferon temporarily suppressed the virus.
Unfortunately, we're not seeing much success with this treatment.
Glad I could be a guinea pig.
What now? We'll keep an eye on him.
Don't drink alcohol or do drugs.
We'll hope something better comes along soon.
[GUNSHOT.]
[BEER CAN CLATTERS.]
[CHAMBERING BULLET.]
Mr.
Krepke! You must be Ben.
Will said you might be armed.
Marlin 336, best deer rifle ever made.
It belonged to my brother.
Ah, don't worry about that.
It's an infection in the artificial knee.
Doctor won't replace it.
Because of the HIV? You're not here to mope over me, are you? - No.
- All right, come on.
Thanks for agreeing to talk.
Thanks for doing that archival study.
I doubt we would have gotten a dollar without it.
Please.
Well, it's not enough, though, is it? How could it be? I heard about your boy.
I'm sorry.
How's he doing? He's okay for now.
[CLEARING THROAT.]
Do you mind if I record? No, no, no, go ahead.
How far back do you want to go? I got stories that'll fill that sucker up.
Whatever you want to tell me.
Was a time nobody gave a shit about what I thought.
Well I do.
I think others will.
Here's hoping a federal inquiry will, too.
See, but why stop there? What do you mean? Say I take that rifle, I point it at your head, and I pull the trigger.
Well, somewhere out there, someone's gonna call that murder, - don'tcha think? - Of course, yeah.
So, tell me, what's the difference between that and the Red Cross giving us tainted blood? Well, I think in terms of criminal liability, the issue will be proving intent.
No, no, no, no, screw that.
This is just us talking.
You know what happened.
You literally wrote the book.
I watched my brother, a strong, vibrant man waste away to a pool of his own spit and shit.
I lost my job, I lost my wife, I lost my house, I've lost everything.
We didn't get AIDS.
They gave it to us.
What happened to your son is not an accident.
You asked me what I think.
I think people should pay.
And not in money.
You ask me what I think these people are who did this to us? Criminals.
They are criminals.
[VERSION OF LEONARD COHEN'S "HALLELUJAH" PLAYS.]
Do you have the rings? Place the ring upon her finger, and repeat after me.
I, Peter Thomas Landry.
[PETER.]
: I Peter Thomas Landry.
Take you, Elizabeth Darby Stephens Take you, Elizabeth Darby Stephens.
To be my wife from this day forward To be my wife from this day forward [PRIEST.]
: For better or for worse [PETER.]
: For better or for worse.
[PRIEST.]
: For richer or for poorer [JIM.]
: We didn't get AIDS.
They gave it to us.
In sickness and in health.
In sickness, anyways.
In sickness and in health.
[JIM.]
: What happened to your son is not an accident.
You asked me what I think.
I think people should pay.
To love and to cherish till death do us part.
You may now kiss the bride.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah