Back to Life (2019) s01e06 Episode Script

Episode 6

1
Hi, Billy.
It would be great if we could maybe
have an ice—cream as friends.
IN DEEP VOICE:
Miri, you're fired.
Oh! Oh, well, that's fine.
You're like Paul McKenna making me do that.
You will always be alone!
Oh, fuck off and die!
Anna? Oh.
I'm so sorry.
Apparently it's where some girl
bludgeoned someone to death.
MIRI:
Why was she so angry with me, Mandy?
| used to just lie awake,
trying to work out what I'd done.
Lara could be like that though.
I fired her and and she went nuts.
She said she was gonna do something.
Something bad, she said.
To light a fire after you've been fired
that's just showing off with words and arson.
GREENWICH TIME SIGNAL PLAYS
WOMAN ON RADIO: There are warnings of ga/es
in Thames, Dover and Wight.
The area forecasts for the next 24 hours.
German Bight, Humber.
West or south west four or five
increasing seven to severe gale nine.
Dover, Wight
CAROLINE:
Happy birthday.
No, it's not.
CAROLINE:
Oh, for God's sake!
What on Earth is Miri doing?
OSCAR:
Put your glasses on, Caroline.
THEY SIGH
— CAROLINE: Oh, I can't bear it.
I was midway through an extremely spicy
"newdle" soup when boom
| get the call.
Miri Matteson, possible arson.
Oh, and she shouted an old bag to death.
I nearly threw up. Come sign here.
Have you ever thrown up
"newdles" before, Miri?
No.
— Oh, I did.
One of 'em came out at full length.
— Fuck noodles, Janice.
I don't care.
And anyway, sorry, it's not "newdle",
it's "noodle".
Yeah, that's what I said, "newdles".
No, "noodle".
Ugh, just forget it.
This did not need to happen,
I didn't do anything.
The good news is you didn't do anything.
— I know.
The bad news, it's gonna take the community
a bit longer to catch up.
Have you seen this?
SHE CHUCKLES
HHaflous.
Oh, my God, none of this is true.
Well
— Oh!
"Doe—eyed manipulator", we're back to that.
They would never ever describe a man
like that, this is bullshit.
Well, you need to go to that meeting
and tell them that.
What meeting?
Forget I said it.
— Janice.
They're rounding up the town for a meeting
at the school later.
You're public enemy number one.
— Oh, for God's sake.
There's been a lot of bad ju—ju
since you come back.
Yeah, but it's not my ju-ju.
And I can tell you why it's not my ju—ju
because I don't even don't even
don't even have any ju—ju
because I don't know what ju—ju is
and if someone just, if they just bothered
to come up to me and talk to me
This too shall pass.
Probably. Well, hopefully.
Yeah, alright, alright.
— Sometimes it doesn't though, does it?
GUARD: Miri Matteson.
— JANICE: Cos it just gets worse.
Do | just?
— JANICE: Which means it did pass
but it didn't get better
so in that case,
you wish that it hadn't passed.
Honestly, this is too much. It's horrid.
I thought things were getting better.
Someone's put a lot of effort into it.
This is exactly what she wears, but ironed.
You can hate us but don't punish the planet.
It's a very nice butter knife.
Rinse your tins, whoever you are.
Oh, don't let them win, it's your birthday.
We're together as a family,
we're gonna have a wonderful day.
Aren't we, Miri?
IN CHILD VOICE:
Yes, Mummy.
There. See?
Where is Miri anyway?
She should be up by now.
HE SIGHS
You got one friend.
Aw, thanks, Janice.
Nah, not me.
I'm your probation officer.
I meant the man who got you out.
What man?
Oh, the foreign fella,
he saw you on the beach.
Your alibi.
Gorgeous.
Here, he wanted me to give you this.
Oh, I'd love a big bear like that.
Very nice.
Yeah, I know this is controversial
but I do love me a bit of back hair.
Miri?
Miri!
MIRI:
Why are we meeting here?
We could've just met in a café.
Can you can you tell me what is going on?
As a detective,
this has been my toughest case, Miri.
OK.
I know why Lara was so angry with you
that night.
Well, tell me.
— You know already, don't you, Miri?
Sorry, what are you talking about?
Lara was angry at you because
she figured out your little secret.
You were sleeping with Lara's father,
Mr Boback.
What? Oh, no, no.
No. No.
— Yes, you did.
I think I would remember if I was sleeping
with my best friend's dad.
Let me finish.
— I didn't have sex with an old policeman.
So, Lara finds out that
you're scissoring her dad.
Excuse me, sci?
— Scissoring.
What? Oh, wow.
Here, it's all in the book.
The book.
— Yes.
So, Lara bites you, savage rage
you push her back, she dies.
And then he tells you
that you have to be quiet
MIRI: Oh.
— Otherwise you will die.
And you go to jail so no one will ever know
that Chief Inspector Boback
likes to swim in schoolgirl soup.
I didn't sleep with him. This didn't happen.
None of this is true.
OK.
OK.
I must've taken a wrong turn.
Who are you and who who do you work for?
Self-funded, self—taught.
Oh, God, I actually thought
that you were gonna help me.
I will.
No, just drop it and go and get a proper job.
Look, it's my dad's birthday,
I slept in a cell and I'm gonna go home now.
Oh, happy birthday.
No, it's my dad's birthday,
it's not my birthday.
Oh.
Got that one wrong too, Poirot.
CAROLINE: Well, thank God you're home.
— So sorry, guys.
This isn't your present,
it's just your veggie box.
Oh, it's not your fault.
Your father's gonna sue the police.
No, I want to throttle Tina,
taking you in like that.
You didn't do anything.
Somebody phoned them
and told them that I did, so——
Who?
— I don't know.
Oh, what is that?
CAROLINE: You.
— MIRI: What?
We found it hanging in the front garden,
uh, it's a an effigy.
It doesn't look anything like me.
In fact, I have a face.
Well, they've brushed your hair,
that's something.
Oh, is it? Why is it sitting at the table?
Did you make it a cup of tea?
Well, it was cold and we didn't want
to throw you away.
Ideally we'd shred you and use you
for roof insulation.
CAROLINE:
Oscar!
Oh, God!
No, no, no, no, no.
— What, what?
What's wrong?
— It can't be poo.
Potatoes, it's all potatoes.
Haven't we suffered enough?
It's not personal,
it's just whatever's in season.
Oh, yeah.
Well, uh, sorry, maybe I overreacted.
Do you remember when Marion
got nothing but turnips?
Well, now that's personal.
— PHONE RINGS
Sorry, Dad, I've ruined your birthday
and I haven't even got you a present.
You are my present, Miri.
Oh.
I've got you this year.
We'll have a lovely day.
Can't get any worse.
SHE WHISPERS:
Miri.
Cake's ready. I need two pairs of hands.
We'll pop into town.
I can hear you, darling.
Oh, do you know what?
I think I might stay here, | just
avoid the witch hunt.
You have done nothing wrong.
Well.
Recenfly.
Hold your nerve.
OK.
I'll pick up the cake if you get these.
Oh, my God.
Yeah, it's not great.
Ignore them, can't even spell.
HE SCOFFS
Yeah.
Yeah, but I didn't actually, with you.
— I know, I know.
So, y'know, it's it's wrong, you know,
me shagging you.
Alright.
No, no, come on, not cos you're
Not cos you're terrible, it's just that
I did love her, you know.
I was I was younger, but, uh
I'm not some kind of playboy.
I'm not like that.
Course.
They, uh
they said they don't want me at the funeral,
the family.
Oh, Billy. Oh, my God.
I liked you but I would've never
have been unfaithful.
Look, let me sort this out.
I will go, I will go
and talk to each and every one of them
and I will force them to understand.
I mean, obviously, in a
in a very non—threatening way.
Yeah.
I don't think
there's gonna be ice—cream again.
Cool, OK.
It's fine.
I can go on my own, if you like.
— No, no, it's cool.
Oh.
No, I'm having a bad enough day already.
— Miri
Shit, I'm sorry, like, I'm so fucking sorry.
I was kind of expecting it,
to be honest, anyway.
Really?
Wow, cos, like, l H wasn't.
Kinda came as a bit of a surprise.
Look, l have handled worse so, uh,
can we just, just not talk about it
just never talk about it again, alright?
— OK, wow.
You are so amazing
and you look great for your age.
Oh, yeah, well, prison's really good
for your skin, it's anti—aging.
You look fit though so, like, I still would.
What are you doing?
What? I'm just saying what I feel
about your
about your face and your tits.
Oh, my God, is this the only way
that you can talk to me?
Have you not evolved at all?
— Huh?
Do you know what? It's never gonna happen.
I am never going to have sex with you.
Firstly, you're not my type at all anymore.
And secondly,
you are a married man with twins.
My basket used to be
so much sexier than this.
SHE LAUGHS
What, just rammed full of lube,
olives and body oil?
Like hand cream and candles.
Christ.
— Fucking twins.
You know what?
You you do look really, really awful.
Yeah, well, you
you look like shit yourself.
SHE GASPS
That's better.
Well done.
I tried to find you yesterday.
l was with Mandy.
Oh, poor you, she's an asshole.
No, she speaks highly of you,
she says that you'd jizz on anything, so——
Apart from her. Did she say that about me?
— Yep.
Well, she'd shag anything.
— Apart from you.
I thought you were gonna kill me.
Your dad gave me this black eye,
I thought you'd at least do the other one.
Why did my dad give you a black eye?
WOMAN ON RADIO:
North west seven to severe gale nine.
Occasional/y storm ten at first.
Rough or very rough. Thundery rain poor.
MIRI ON PHONE (VO):
Oh, / need to talk to Mandy.
MAN ON PHONE (VO):
She ’s at that meeting about the killer girl.
She should be locked up if you ask me.
MIRI ON PHONE (VO):
Agh/ / was for 18 years, you idiot.
PHONE BEEPS
Thought 7O deserves a suit.
Still fits, in most areas.
Where's Miri?
Oh, Oscar, you have to come with me.
Where could she be?
OSCAR:
It's a small town, we'll find her.
CROWD CLAMOURS
— MANDY: One at a time, people.
WOMAN: A dead old lady on a lawn, arson,
bricks through windows.
This town isn't safe now she's back.
— OK, Lisa.
She should be locked up. She's unstable.
MIRI:
No, I'm not!
CROWD MURMURS
— This has gone way too far.
Right. Hi. Hello.
I'm pretty angry right now so I may not
come across very well, which is
WOMAN: Nasty psycho!
— really, really, really annoying
cos I'm actually very, very, very, very
nice and stable, aren't I?
— Can be.
Yes.
— MAN: Ha! Yeah, right.
SHE SIGHS
OK.
That woman, Anna
she had a heart attack, boom, dead.
Not me.
— MAN: What about the brick?
And somebody threw that brick at me.
Look, look, can you see?
WOMAN: You threw that brick.
— I can't see anything.
Ugh!
— MAN: That's just a normal head.
Please, I am not a bad person.
I am a good person.
— MAN: You killed someone!
I mean, I m lam a good person
who did a really terrible, terrible thing
but, but we all do terrible things.
— CROWD MURMURS
Come on, we all do.
I set fire to my truck.
CROWD GASPS
— It was me.
See! Sor what?
I know, I just did it.
Ugh.
— For the insurance.
MIRI: You framed me?
— NATHAN: Yeah.
Sorry, I, um
We are here to discuss the release
of a violent psychopath into our town.
And the parking on Dixon Street.
No, there's a separate committee for that.
She is evil and this is a community
full of decent, God—fearing people.
Oh, shut up, Lisa, you spent the summer
screwing your choir master.
CROWD GASPS
— Ooh! Didn't see you there, Martin.
Now you know.
— Oh, so you can talk?
Everyone knows what you've been up to.
— Uh, keep it civil.
She's right.
And I'm here to make amends.
I'm sorry I hurt you. I hurt my own daughter.
Yes, you did.
And I had chlamydia.
CROWD MURMURS
— Because I gave it to him.
CROWD GASPS
— Because l—l gave it to her
and maybe one or two other people in
— CROWD GROANS
in this room, you should probably
get yourself checked.
Sorry, Brenda.
— Can we just stay on topic, please?
Why don't you just move?
— CROWD: Yeah!
Why don't you move?
— I've just re—mortgaged.
Nobody has to move.
Because you wanna kill us all.
I'll kill you all before she does.
Don't, don't, he doesn't mean that.
— CROWD MURMURS
He might.
— Graffitiing our house, effigies
shitting in boxes! You
— That was someone else, Dad.
Well, I'll kill them too.
No, they're already dead,
so you don't have doesn't matter.
Has anyone got a phone charger?
— MAN: Shut up, fire boy.
MAN 2: I've got a Samsung charger
— MANDY: Shut up!
CROWD CLAMOURS
— Shut up, all of you.
You are all awful people. All of you.
Miri Matteson is my friend
and she did not kill that lady.
She is not dangerous.
She didn't steal your hanging baskets
and she hasn't joined ISIS.
Sue?
— MIRI: No, Sue, come on.
And can I just add to that
that I did not have sex with Mr Boback
which I was accused of today. |
Um, I think it was Mandy
that was shagging him.
What?
— DOM: Well, that was the rumour anyway.
MIRI: What's
— CROWD WHISPERS
But did did you s
CROWD WHISPERS
Mand
DOM:
Um, so
Ahem. Back to the, um chlamydia situation.
Yeah, it the thing is, it can lie dormant.
Mandy?
MANDY SOBS
Is it true?
Were you sleeping with Mr Boback?
Answer me.
MANDY SNIFFLES
— Please.
Look, um
I'm not angry with you, I just
I just wanna know if you're OK.
OK, if you don't wanna speak then, um,
let's do that thing
that we used to do at school,
do you remember?
Is my name Miri?
Yes.
That's great.
Good, uh, is my fringe terrible?
MANDY SNIFFLES
Oh. Yeah.
Yes, it is, thank you so much.
OK, um
Is what Dom said true?
Were you really sleeping with Mr Boback?
Christ, Mandy!
Why didn't you tell me?
Did Lara know
did she know the night she died?
So, is that why she was so angry with me?
Did she think that I knew about it?
She didn't think it was me, did she?
Did she think that I slept with her dad?
MANDY SOBS:
I didn't want her to hate me.
MANDY CRIES
Did you lie?
And did you tell her it was me?
Mandy!
Did you lie and tell her
l was sleeping with her dad?
Oh, my
None of this had to happen.
Get out of there now.
Get out of there now!
Get out of there! I'm gonna fucking kill you!
MIRI YELLS
— MANDY SOBS
Fuck you, you fucking! Fuck you!
I'm sorry.
WOMAN ON RADIO: North westerly six,
decreasing westerly three or four
showers becoming fair, moderate,
becoming good.
MUSIC: "Sings The MoonII by John Mark Nelson
# Patiently wait for the day will be soon #
# Sings the moon #
# All will be glad at the sound of my #
Noodle.
"Newdle".
"Noodle"?
# The moon #
# Sings the moon. #
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
BILLY:
Uh
| uh, I saw you here and I got these.
Thank you.
Um what, what changed your mind?
Oh, well, I went for a big walk
and I realised how how small we all are
and I thought, everything's got a bit shit
so I got us two ice-creams.
Do you wanna come sit down?
Oh, thanks.
There you are.
— Thank you.
You're welcome.
So, Miri
You look sad.
— Yeah, I am a bit.
None of it needed to happen.
OK.
My best friend died
Mm—hm.
— Hating me for something that
I didn't do,
and I can't tell her that it's not true.
She knows now.
What?
Well, I think, when you
when you die, you become everything,
like the
the sea and the air, so
So you know everything.
That would be nice.
That would be really nice.
Well, that's why dead people
aren't allowed to sort of do pub quizzes,
cos they
That's terrible.
— Argh.
I just wanna start my life.
| feel like I'm not allowed.
That's rubbish, this is it.
What?
— Your life.
It's happening. Now.
Now!
Now.
— OK.
Yeah.
Just
Phew!
Look at that.
You know?
— Yeah, alright.
Alright.
Give us your hand.
They're quite big, aren't they?
Maybe you've got really small hands.
— No, no, | just
l—l went for it and it felt like a
flipper.
When did you hold a flipper last?
— Last week.
But I can see what it is now,
Proportionately, it's the fingers, isn't it?
They're a lot longer than
— They're long.
Yeah. Good for
Good for getting stuff out of bottles.
— I've honestly never tried that.
Something to look forward to.
THEY CHUCKLE
MUSIC: "Cherry-Coloured Funk" by Arctic Lake
# Beetles and eggs and blues
and pour a little everything else #
# You steam a lens stable eyes and glass #
# Not get pissed off through my bird lips
as good news #
# You'll hang the hearts
black and dull as the night #
# We hanged your pass
and start being as you in ecstasy #
# Still being cried and laughed at before #
# Should I be sewn in hugged
I can by not saying #
# Still being cried and laughed at #
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