MotherFatherSon (2019) s01e06 Episode Script

1 What if I told you my papers were considering endorsing Angela? She's the only one listening.
I only pick the winner, and this time, it's not you.
I stole from my mum.
If no-one knows, how does your son know? I'm dying.
You go for Caden, go for Max.
If you ever want to arrange an interview Extortion, bribery! The only person who can hurt us is you.
- Tell me her name.
- Her name is Orla.
I know her better than you.
Someone for me spying for you! The son of the Muslim Prime Minister started browsing fanatical websites.
- Would you run that story? - I would run the story about you.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
- All right, everybody - Excuse me.
It's fine.
Ready when you are.
You were drinking every day? Yes.
Prime Minister, did you know? No.
I was away, I was working.
As a father, I let my son down.
Prime Minister, did you cover up your son's internet searches? Let me be clear, there was no cover-up.
My son made a mistake and he was treated the same way as other people in his situation.
MI5 agents interviewed your son? They discussed the incident with him, the security services logged the incident.
No further action was taken, as no further action was taken in other cases of this kind.
And, Saif, um if I can come back to you? What happened that night? I'd been drinking.
I was browsing the internet.
What exactly did you type into the search engine? Kafir which means unbeliever.
As a description of myself, my own struggles with my faith, not as an insult to anyone else.
I, er I clicked on a link and it was about the downfall of democracy and the introduction of a caliphate.
And can you explain what a caliphate is? Er a state governed in accordance with Islamic law.
Was there content calling for the death of non-Muslims? Yes.
You've managed to confirm the prejudices and stereotypes I've spent my entire life trying to destroy! I made a mistake.
We're not allowed mistakes.
We don't get second chances.
Our fuck-ups are not forgiven! Weren't you young once? I wasn't allowed to be! Why didn't you keep Max on our side? You thought you didn't need him any more.
Well, look at what he's done to us, to our family.
Max had nothing on me.
I gave him nothing! But you, my son! That's enough! If she wins, she'll undo everything my government has tried to achieved.
My legacy.
And YOU let her rip it all down.
That was the point, wasn't it? Why did we even do the interview? Because you have to try and hope that the public sees the real you.
And who is the real me, Dad? A jealous boy who couldn't deal with his father's success.
Show them that boy.
Show them him and they'll understand.
Not a bad boy.
Just a weak one.
Hm! You sound like Max.
You sound just like him! [LOW CHATTER.]
During the interview, I didn't hear The Prime Minister's wife, Ayesha, she didn't say a word.
- Have somebody write it up.
- Huh! You disagree? She wasn't silenced, she was overwhelmed.
Our readers can make up their own minds.
They're down, Max.
The family's down.
Is that how you see it? A case of bad sportsmanship? She didn't say a word in defence of her son.
I don't know why.
Her husband spoke plenty.
Include the video.
And I want a woman to write it.
Yes, Max.
OK.
They're ready.
Let's go.
Sorry, this isn't working.
Could you run that through? Thanks.
You don't work here any more.
- Let me speak to Lauren.
- That's not going to be possible.
Why not? Because she's the one who fired you.
Good morning.
Thomas, how are you doing? Hey, guys.
How you been? You all right? OK.
Excuse me.
OK.
Can everyone see me? Come in, come in a little closer.
We'll just have a little talk.
Let me ask you a question.
Who do you work for? It's all right, don't be shy, you can tell me.
Who who do you work for? We work for you.
You work for me.
For me? No.
No, you don't.
You don't.
Who am I? I'm nobody.
I'm just somebody passing through.
You work for the news! We all work for the news! After 40 years of being a newsman, the TRUTH has always been enough.
I didn't need anything else.
I didn't need a lie.
The truth can break a man's reputation.
It's a solemn responsibility.
And we have another one, to not let anyone take our reputation.
Without it, we're done.
As a news organisation, we are finished! Finished! All of this, done! Gone! Over the next couple of days, you'll notice that some of your colleagues won't be returning.
Some of the practices that were taking place during my son's tenure were unacceptable! An internal investigation has begun.
Come on in.
Now, one more thing.
Whatever it takes to defend the news, whatever it takes to defend this organisation no-one is out of reach! You're going to accuse him of what? Blackmail, theft, illegal surveillance.
On what evidence? Caden's confession.
Max is going to print stories about me, about this family.
No, he won't.
Because you won't do this, you won't.
- I forbid it.
- You forbid it? - You marry him against my wishes - Everyone was against your wishes.
You brought this man in from outside into our family, you build him up, now you want to tear him down? That's not it.
Picking a fight with one of the most powerful men in the world, - it's vain.
- Vain? Or is it because he married a beautiful Mexican woman? Well, what is it, then? Is it a principled stand against power and corruption? Oh, please! What are you, 13 years old? Has it never occurred to you that you're still very much in love with him? And then I remember the divorce.
And he won that fight, too.
Rather easily, as I recall.
Mum? What does he have on us? Affairs? These weren't affairs.
What, then? The women worked for him.
You knew? I covered it up.
I paid them off, I found them new employment, I tidied up after him.
How many? Women or years? We'd be disgraced.
There's a reason your father never touched you.
I forbade it.
I didn't trust him, not even with his own daughter.
- Would he? - I never gave him the chance.
I told him, if I ever saw him so much as put an arm around your waist, I would burn this house to the ground with him sleeping in it.
Let him be disgraced.
No! No, he has gone! He's got away with it, but I'm still here.
I'll have to live with it, I'll be disgraced.
You are playing with people, Kathryn.
Max is going to lie.
He's going to imply that I'm the reason that Caden was an addict.
He is going to paint me as the worst mother imaginable.
Don't tell me I've got nothing to lose.
I'm just as scared as you.
[SHE BREATHES HARD.]
You keep asking me the same question, hoping I'm going to give you a different answer.
I'm not here for us.
- What are you here for? - To warn you.
- About what? - My dad.
I'm not running for Prime Minister.
He's going to hurt the people close to me.
I'm not close to you! - He knows that isn't true.
- It is true.
We're not a couple, we're nothing.
Just tell him! I'll tell him, but he knows.
Knows what?! How much you mean to me.
Stop talking like that! - Like what? - Like we're in love! We'll be fine.
We will be fine.
You report back to Max on my son.
On our conversations? He's Caden's father, and he hired me.
He'd ask questions.
I didn't think I was doing anything wrong.
Caden trusted you.
You were his ONLY friend.
I am his friend.
What did Max want to know? How's my son doing? What does he eat? How's his rehab programme? Or did he ask, "What are they talking about ".
.
him and his mum? "Does he mutter anything? Say anything unusual?" Don't tell me you didn't know it was spying.
Don't tell me you didn't know it was wrong.
No.
I'm sorry.
Max ruins many good men.
So I want to thank you for all your hard work.
Well, can't we fix this? I am fixing this.
- Caden means a lot to me.
- You mean a lot to him.
I want to see his recovery through.
That won't be possible.
- It would be much better for him - Don't you dare.
If I apologise to him He'll accept.
But you're not going to apologise to him.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[PHONE RINGS OUT.]
- Hello.
- Maggie? - Yeah.
- It's Kathryn.
I've spoken to my son.
We'll talk to you.
And what will you say, when you talk? What will you tell us? Everything.
[BIRDSONG.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Angela Howard? - Yeah.
Angela Howard is inviting you to be a part of her election campaign as a consultant.
- She admires my charity work.
- Ah.
She is requesting your company at one of the political rallies and would like to discuss further My God, she's something! I'm going to go.
- Why?! - I want to hear what she has to say.
- Mum! - Only because I don't know.
There might be chance, a small chance It's about me.
And the work and the ideas.
Then you should go.
Would you like a leaflet? Excuse me.
Kali Elgood.
Erm I have a meeting with Angela Howard.
Can you check that? My parents used to take their summer holidays at seaside towns like this.
They never travelled abroad.
If someone had told my mum and my dad that they were poor, they would've said, "That might be true, but we don't feel it.
" My school was good.
Our local library was full of books, our hospital was clean.
There were good houses, good shops.
There were communities.
We ate well.
Yeah, we were poor, yes, but we didn't feel it.
I can't look back and feel the same nostalgia that you do.
What if you could take what was great about the past and mix it with what's great about today? Cos the past doesn't have to be old-fashioned.
I don't recognise it.
It hasn't been built yet.
What is it? My manifesto.
People are bored of sentences, don't you think? Sentences? Words, promises, claims, predictions, statistics, wrapped up in a neatly bound book that no-one reads, except a few political journalists.
So you're not going to publish a manifesto? I'm going to show the voters this model of a city.
I'm going to tour it round the country.
Something they can see and touch.
Something they can turn into reality if they vote for me.
A new town? - A new way of life.
- Where? Not one.
Across the country.
In the most deprived areas, where there hasn't been any development for years.
Who gets to live there? People who contribute.
I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong.
I don't see race or gender or religion, I don't care about sexuality.
All I see are lines.
Borders.
Who's inside and who's outside.
I'm for the people inside.
That's it, that's all I'm about.
Are you inside or outside? Angela, can I just show you something? [FAINT BARKING.]
Are you a paedophile? Why aren't you at school? I'm a fuck-up.
Who told you that? My dad.
What you doing? Going to see my mum.
I want to tell her something before she finds out herself.
Your dad's wrong.
I know plenty of fuck-ups.
You're not one of 'em.
[BUZZER.]
[DOORBELL.]
I stole from you, Mum.
I know.
You know? I knew at the time.
When you were stealing and saying it was the markets.
I'm your mother.
I've listened to you lie more times than I can count.
I can't make it right, Mum.
I never cared about the money.
I thought you were dead.
Cos that's the only explanation.
My son wouldn't treat me like this.
I was sick, Mum.
I asked the police to look for you.
It's been four years, not a word! If I'd have stayed in contact, Mum, I'd have stolen everything you had.
You could've had it if you'd stayed.
But you you broke my heart.
I broke my mine, too.
We agreed.
One day, we'd stop working.
We'd travel, you and me.
I thought we'd have more time.
You were never going to stop.
Did you want me to? I only ever wanted you.
[DOORBELL.]
[SHE COUGHS.]
Sorry you lost your job.
We can get by.
We're OK.
Your husband is about to be one of the most famous journalists in the country.
Come on.
- You spoke to Caden? - I spoke to his mum.
And Max's son, once heir to his empire, wants to dish the dirt, in public, on record, on his father.
Fuck! Fuck indeed.
That's great, right? That's all you need.
Thank you.
But Max is going to attack his credibility.
We know what he'll say.
"He's a a burn-out, a coke head.
"He's in hospital, shitting in his bed, "learning to write his own name," that kind of thing.
I agree, that's the attack.
Doesn't change the fact, this is his son with all his daddy's secrets.
And his confession will be covered across the world.
And the public, who normally don't give a shit, will suck up the family-fucked-up drama of it all.
Do we trust Kathryn? She's a bored aristocrat who's tried everything.
Painting, photography.
Maybe doing the right thing is just another fad.
I don't trust her either.
What does that matter? I don't know what her reasons are.
I don't care.
We were at a dead-end.
We knew everything, could prove nothing.
Hm.
We've been given a gift dropped from the gods.
Kathryn is being much more careful about the way that she communicates.
Mm.
No voicemails, no e-mails.
Oh, I don't think we can blame her for that.
She's set up an interview.
Who'd she pick? Some dyke called Maggie Barns.
Why do you talk like that? Like what? I don't like it! I apologise.
Some lesbian called Maggie Barns.
Maggie.
Smart choice.
- Yeah.
She's brilliant.
- Yes.
She's also very ill.
I didn't know.
When she speaks out against us, against her own paper, an award-winning journalist, sick, frail, no hair, no make-up Very powerful.
Find out when that interview is.
There's a man.
I'm responsible for his death.
What happened? There's a tribunal, and they say there's new information and new evidence about about my, um about my actions.
It can't be because of my dad.
So, what, you think this is a fucking coincidence, do you?! No, that isn't what I'm s-saying.
I don't know.
A man died and it was my fault! I am responsible! OK.
OK? I'll love you.
What? - I'll love you.
- No.
- I'll try.
- What are you doing?! - Your father, he's behind this.
- No! He's responsible.
Just make him stop.
Make him stop the investigation.
I'll love you! Please! - Can you make him stop? - No! Make him stop, make him stop.
Make him stop, please make him stop.
- Orla! - You can have me! - Will you please?! - Please stop! - Please! - Stop! - Make him stop! - Stop! Make him stop! Just make him stop! - Stop! - Make him stop! Make him stop! - Stop! - Stop! - I'll love you! I'll love you! I'll love you! Make him stop, Caden! Just make him stop, please! Please! [SHE SOBS.]
[HE EXHALES.]
[HE SIGHS.]
- Como estas? How are you, guys? - How was your flight? - Zoe, please, if you - THEY SPEAK SPANISH Hey! Hola.
Oh, look at you! Hey! Oh! Mmm! [HE EXHALES.]
Since you don't come to me, I must come to you.
Well, events have run away from me.
It is time we made our home.
Yes.
I was passing through La Plaza de la Constitucion.
It was late.
The square was almost empty, but in the centre, you know, by the flag? - Yeah, I know.
- There was a clown.
- Ah.
- Juggling.
I thought, "Who is he juggling for?" He was the only person there.
What were you doing at the parliament? Catching up with friends.
Oh.
Were they asking questions? They're curious.
About me? About this politician you're championing, Ang-ela Howard.
- Angela.
- Angela Howard.
She's not loved.
Abroad, no.
No, she's not.
At home, yes.
I asked myself, "What would I do if your new papers "supported a Mexican candidate that I despised?" Despised is a very strong word, honey.
I know the word's strength.
You understand, my business life must remain separate from my home life? You understand I cannot separate our personal lives from our professional lives.
I won't be told what decisions to make by anyone.
Max, you tell the whole world what decisions to make.
No, I don't.
No, that's wrong.
No.
I'm a listener.
I listen.
The world tells me what decisions it's about to make.
I just hear it before anyone else.
So you can sit there, on the edge of my bath, looking at me, but I can't look at you, is that it? [HE SIGHS.]
You want me to leave? I just want to sit on the edge of your bath, asking you questions about who you meet and what they say.
- It wouldn't work, I take showers.
- You lock the door.
Have you tried to get in? Am I allowed to wander in and talk to you while you shower? Right, I'll unlock the door.
You can come talk to me in the shower if you want.
I can't promise it'll be very interesting, but You'll unlock the door? I'll unlock the door.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Can I interrupt? I was listening to the radio yesterday, caught the last few seconds of the King's College choir.
And I thought to myself, "What am I doing?" I'm so proud of you.
- I'm not in the choir, Dad.
- Hm! No, but you are near them.
Despite all the commotions and distractions caused in your life by me.
Don't you have the economy to fix, or something? No.
Not today.
Today, I am Dad.
When I was first considering running for election as a member of Parliament we had a meeting, where it was discussed whether I could overcome both race and religion from an electoral standpoint.
Well, maybe I couldn't fight on both fronts.
I wasn't particularly devout, so they asked me if I would consider converting to Christianity.
For two weeks, I considered it, until I told them that I couldn't.
A part of me would die.
My faith, yes, my integrity, my idealism.
I was so ashamed.
I am still ashamed.
No-one ever found out because in those two weeks of campaigning, I ducked the question of my faith.
But the truth is, I did consider it.
Now, if anyone ever found out that I was prepared to drop my faith to try to further my career, make myself more appealing, more electable I would not be the Prime Minister.
Who knows? Your mother.
The people in that room.
I wanted you to know, too.
Hm? - [MUSIC PLAYS.]
- Scott? Scott? Are you OK? You know, I was always sure that my mum wouldn't want to know me any more.
That I'd lost her.
But some part of me hoped that maybe one day, we'd make up.
That was my dream, that I'd be forgiven.
Now I know that'll never happen.
What did she say? She buried me in the garden of the house she was forced to sell.
I'm so sorry.
You know, I thought, afterwards maybe I'd want a drink.
But I don't.
That's good.
Mm.
I won't survive a another lie.
I won't survive another drink.
All I have left is love and loyalty.
I can offer you that.
It's not because I'm a good person, I just I can't afford to be a bad one again.
Kathryn, has has anyone ever been devoted to you? You know, the way the way you're devoted to them? No.
What do you want? What do you? What do you really want, Kathryn? I want love.
I want kindness.
Pam? I can't find Orla.
I haven't seen her.
Has the tribunal started? What tribunal? The investigation, the hearing.
There was an incident, a-a man died.
She kept talking about new evidence.
You should talk to her.
What's going on? - You should talk to her.
- Tell me! I've heard Orla talking about investigations and tribunals ever since she arrived here.
I've never heard of there actually being one.
I don't understand.
She's not well.
It's not real.
No, you're wrong.
She was in my room, she was scared.
It was real, I saw it.
Surviving is hard.
In 1980, it took a family four years to save for a deposit.
It now takes 19 years.
While renting, they spend more, live with less, put up with worse.
You know all this, you've written about it.
And nothing gets done.
Politicians have failed in their most basic duties.
[APPLAUSE.]
I'd like to introduce my first speaker.
A woman who has dedicated her life to addressing the issue of social housing.
The sky is beautiful today.
And may I say, no-one will be left behind.
[APPLAUSE.]
It's OK.
I've spent several days observing Angela Howard's campaign.
I can say this I'm scared.
She plans on running this country like she's the owner of it.
- Like it's one of her - [MICROPHONE FAILS.]
Like it's one of her businesses! If you agree with her, then she's your best friend! If you disagree - Come on! - Get your hands off me! [LOW CHATTER.]
Well it would seem I haven't yet won her vote.
[LAUGHTER.]
But I don't want to stifle disagreement.
Kali's right, I am going to run this country as a business.
And I'm going to turn this business around.
[APPLAUSE.]
- Are you sure about this? - Yes, I'm sure.
If you change your mind at any point, we stop it.
Maggie.
Good to see you again.
I'm Nick Caplan.
I know your work.
He started the investigation.
I remember.
The murder, the private investigator.
A robbery gone wrong.
I know who killed him.
He was, er blackmailing your papers.
Some might say our circumstances have not improved.
Speak for yourself.
Yes.
You've changed.
I want to say I'm sorry.
I was wrong and you were right.
I can't speak for the others.
Maybe when they read this, they will, too, but I forgive you.
That means a lot.
The question I wanted answering was never about you.
It was about your daughter.
What does she really think? Max trusts her, but I wasn't sure.
Now I know.
My daughter had no idea what I was going to do.
Oh, no-one cares about your protest.
No-one's going to cover it.
You've achieved nothing.
I've said no to you.
Someone stood up and said no.
That was me.
I wanted to be the first to do it.
Lots of people are going to say no.
A lot more are going to say yes.
The statue.
I'm sorry? Who is it? Who is the statue of, in the model of your new city? It's you, isn't it? You're desperately searching for something bad, when there isn't.
Do you know what that is? It's prejudice.
You're an authoritarian.
I don't care how many houses you build, or how many jobs you create.
Get her out.
Say your name.
Caden Finch.
And again.
My name is Caden Finch.
Son of Max Finch.
Who was, in turn, the son of Walter Finch.
Three generations of Finches.
Oh, what is this? There we go.
Look, I hope you don't mind me just dropping in like this.
I wanted to join the discussion.
We are talking about my newspapers, aren't we? You should've taken that job I offered you.
Maggie, I know you're not well.
I'm very sorry.
Let me tell you about my son.
[RHYTHMIC DRUMBEAT AND CLAPPING.]
[WHOOPING.]
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.]
Let me introduce you to someone very special.
His name's Billy.
He used to sing in his school choir, until his school could no longer afford a music teacher.
Now he travels by bus for 40 minutes each way just so he can sing.
His mum, Sue Where is Sue? She wrote to me, asking, "What can I do?" What can I do? Right now, nothing.
[DISAPPOINTED GROANS.]
But if you vote for me How did you know we were having this meeting? It's my job.
I've been doing this for 40 years, I'm the best in the world.
That's how I know.
You have the scent of a story, I can tell.
- Best of my life.
- Hm! I hear your mother fired Andrew.
He was spying for you.
He was fond of you, that was real.
More importantly, he was one of the best in the country.
He was getting you better.
[HE SIGHS.]
But your mother misplaced her anger for me and put it on him, which was completely unfair.
The only person who's going to suffer from that is you.
It won't work.
You can't divide us.
This is the same.
She's taking out her anger on me.
She feels that the world didn't make her important enough, and YOU are going to suffer for it.
What's in the file? After our talk, I ordered an investigation into our business culture and practices.
Kathryn was right.
There have been serious issues.
It's in the file.
What does it say? It says I didn't know.
- You didn't know? - I didn't know.
That's a lie.
Caden, I relied on you.
You let me down.
They were your newspapers.
They were taking their instructions from you.
No, no, no.
Caden was responsible.
He was out of his depth.
He let go of our best journalists, like Maggie, because they were expensive, time-consuming, difficult to manage.
I'm sorry, but you are.
Then he hired dirty-trick private detectives who used illegal short cuts to do what any good journalist would've done legally.
He was not up to the job.
So he cheated.
And that's it, that's all there is to it.
I'm sorry that I appointed him.
He wasn't ready.
He was just way way too young.
I made a mistake.
Anyway you have all the evidence right there, Kathryn.
All you have to do is hand it over to Maggie.
Hand it over and Caden will go to jail.
This country elected a man who has lost interest in the country that elected him.
[MURMURS OF AGREEMENT.]
He struts the global stage, using your money to solve global poverty.
- What about local poverty? - APPLAUSE International aid.
What about regional aid? [SHOUTS OF AGREEMENT.]
[APPLAUSE.]
Prime Minister, your own people are living off food banks! [APPLAUSE.]
My business is here.
My business is you.
It will only ever be you.
Your buses! - Your trains! - AUDIENCE: Our trains! - Your schools! - Our schools! - Your jobs! - Our jobs! - Your churches! - Our churches! - Your choirs! - Our choirs! Your shops, your high streets, your playgrounds and parks! Nothing is too small! Your problems are never too small! [SHOUTS OF AGREEMENT.]
They say you're angry.
I say you're amazing! [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.]
Amazing grace How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost But now am found Was blind, but now I see 'Twas grace that taught My heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed Can we speak in private? You didn't want to speak in private.
You wanted to speak in public.
You wanted a crusade.
You have it.
It's in your hands.
And you have the perfect messenger in Maggie.
So go ahead.
Go ahead, get it over with.
Give her the report.
You built up this whole structure, didn't you? So if it ever came crashing down, it would only destroy your son! Didn't you? I didn't know.
[HE SIGHS.]
Saif! He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures I'm OK, I'm OK! [ASSAILANT LAUGHS.]
When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining, as the sun [SCREAMING.]
We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun.