The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) s01e06 Episode Script

How do you find the champagne?
Everyone happy?
Good.
I would ask us all
to take our places at the table,
but I'm awaiting the arrival
of a distinguished young man from Rome
whom my previous bankers have asked
I introduce to the parisian society.
Apparently, he doesn't know
a soul here and feels rather lost.
Isabelle, more champagne.
It's a privilege to have you here,
Senator.
I was hoping to converse
with you at our spring ball,
but you disappeared rather early.
Forgive me, but when I heard the dancing
was about to begin, I ran like a coward.
You see, I'm a terrible dancer.
I trip and fall,
and embarrass myself no end.
Dancing is not compulsory
at parisian balls, Count.
Then I should have stayed.
- Did you dance, Countess?
- No.
I offered you for a dance,
but you declined.
Count, I must thank you for giving
Heloise that potion.
Our son Edward had a seizure
on the evening of the ball,
but one drop of it restored him almost
instantaneously. It was remarkable.
What my husband
is trying to say, Count,
is that he doubted the potency
of the potion you gave me.
- I admit.
- I believe your profession
requires you to be a skeptic,
so
That may be so.
But all this leads me
to a question, sir.
Two years ago, my father
was struck down by a stroke,
which has rendered
him almost completely paralyzed.
So I was wondering,
do you have or know of
any potion that could reverse
this condition, even a little?
I'm afraid there is
no cure for apoplexy, sir.
I thought as much.
Fate can be very cruel.
Almost as cruel as the justice
meted out by man.
Fate and justice shouldn't be
confused. Not the same thing.
You don't believe in providence,
sir?
No.
I do.
But not in a religious sense.
In which way then, if I may ask?
In the overall sense
that destiny will ensure order
and justice will be restored.
And if it doesn't?
Well then,
mankind must force it to do so.
You don't believe God
can take care of that?
No.
Although I must confess,
I have prayed to him
on numerous occasions
about this very issue.
Has he ever
answered your prayers?
He's answering them as we speak.
But tell us, Monte Cristo,
who is this guest you're expecting?
May I introduce, from Rome,
the Count of Spada.
Greetings, everyone.
You
Count Spada, I know
this might sound ridiculous, but
you wouldn't by any chance be related
to the late Cardinal Spada, would you?
He was my great uncle.
Legend has it he was
a very wealthy man.
There's even a saying
in that part of the world,
"as rich as a Spada", correct?
You are correct about the saying.
But you are incorrect about my great uncle.
- He was not rich.
- Then it was just a legend.
I, however,
have been fortunate enough
to turn the Spada legend
into a reality.
Really? How so?
Some months ago, I was going through
my great-uncle's old library.
When I was clearing out Count Spada's
library, I found a piece of parchment.
There was nothing on it.
Not interesting.
I threw it in the fire.
Thinking nothing of it,
I tossed it into the fireplace.
And?
And as the flames licked at it,
miraculously, words began
to appear and a drawing.
- So I snatched it back.
- Naturally, I snatched it out of the flames.
And it was a map.
And it had been written on,
in invisible ink.
Drawn with invisible ink
that reacted only to heat.
- A map of the hidden treasure?
- How did you know, Baron Danglars?
Anyone who has studied the history
of fortunes and treasures in Europe
knows the story of Caesar Spada
and how he hid his treasure
before the Pope poisoned him.
- And it was never found.
- Until recently.
What are you saying, Count Spada?
Perhaps if you let him finish,
Baron Danglars, you will find out.
The map led
me to the exact location
of Caesar Spada's treasure,
hidden in the year 1502.
- Impossible.
- Would you believe it?
And as the sole heir
of the Spada estate
I was allowed to keep it.
Of course, what I'm telling you
is not public knowledge,
and God forbid
it ever become such.
I will have bankers knocking
on my door day and night.
Do you have this treasure
in your possession?
Not here, of course,
but in the vault of my bankers,
Thompson & French, in Rome.
How much is it worth
in today's terms?
I'm not a braggart, sir.
Isabelle, I think we're ready
for the entree, now.
Mlle Haydee has been kind enough
to cook us a persian dish.
Tell me, Count Spada,
is it true what they say,
that the treasure consisted of caskets
of diamonds, rubies, gold bars?
Baron, with respect,
I would prefer it if we didn't discuss
money matters at the dinner table.
- I tell him that all the time, Count.
- I have one last question.
What brings you to Paris?
I'm here to find a wife.
A wife?
Are you thinking
what I'm thinking?
Yes.
- Might be a bit awkward.
- Surely we'll find a way.
Excuse me.
I'm just going to freshen up.
I need to check on the entree.
Your trip to Paris seems
to be bearing fruit, Vampa.
How was my performance?
You were a bit direct
about wanting to find a wife.
But all in all,
it seemed to go pretty well.
Count, Mr. Villefort's wife
did not go to the bathrooMr.
She went into your laboratory.
Should I have stopped her?
It's fine.
I think she's just fascinated
by all this, that's all.
No harm done. Thank you.
Isn't Louise supposed to be
giving you a lesson this afternoon?
Tomorrow, Father.
- Is Albert coming over today?
- For tea, yes.
Do you
Do you like him, Albert?
There's not a lot wrong with him.
I see Well, until later then.
Baron, what brings you here?
I have decided to increase
the interest on your deposit
by 1% per annum.
How very generous of you.
For what reason, may I ask?
- Generosity.
- Yes.
Yes, of course, a fine virtue.
Wine? Sherry? Brandy?
Wait, is that a bottle of scottish whisky
I spy lurking there?
This is a new thing.
Single malt whisky.
I don't drink, so I wouldn't know
what it tastes like.
Tell me, where is Count Spada
staying whilst in Paris?
The Grand Hotel.
Seems he wants for nothing.
Except a wife.
- Please, sit.
- Thank you.
It's very good.
Has a sort of woody taste.
Like sucking a pencil.
So I did some calculations
on the estimated contents
of the Spada treasure,
and its value exceeds
650 million francs in today's terms.
- Good heavens.
- That's what I thought.
So what kind of wife
is Count Spada looking for?
- How should I know?
- What are his likes, his dislikes?
- I know he doesn't like horses.
- Why not?
I invited him to the races,
but he declined.
- He said horses bore him.
- Did you invite him to any other functions?
Duck hunt.
That didn't interest him either.
Sounds fussy.
Hold on.
When I mentioned the opera,
he became quite lively, almost keen.
The opera? Very well.
You know, I was having
a little chat with Eugenia earlier.
It seems she's not all that attracted
to Albert de Morcerf.
- I thought she adored him.
- No, seems not.
But both parties have already
agreed to the marriage, no?
You wouldn't be able
to extricate yourself now, surely?
Follow me.
Fancy that!
My two favorite people in the world.
Baron, what a surprise!
- We were just passing by
- No, we weren't, Papa.
You specifically said you wanted
to come here for cake and coffee.
Coffee and cake?
Coffee and cake, all round.
Allow me to introduce you
to my daughter, Eugenia.
Eugenia, this is the Count of Spada
I was telling you about.
Enchanted.
- Your daughter is beautiful, Baron.
- Thank you.
This way, girls.
Sit and play a little aria,
if you will.
- Papa
- Sing. And sing well.
Those two young ladies, they see a piano
and they are drawn to it like a magnet.
Sit, join us, please.
So Count, have you been enjoying
your time in Paris thus far?
I like the women.
Where's that coffee and cake?
Count, have you ever considered
investing in railroads?
Baron, you are disturbing
my listening.
Bravo!
Your voice is like honey,
mademoiselle. I'm shattered!
They should be on the stage
in Rome or Vienna.
Champagne.
Bring champagne!
And you chose a Gluck aria,
my personal favorite.
Thank you so much.
Grandmama, we only expected you
this afternoon. How was the journey?
Four days and nights
of unbearable hell
on roads not fit for horses,
let alone a carriage!
But I wouldn't have missed
your engagement for anything.
- Where's your father?
- At work.
- And that stepmother of yours?
- Inside with Edward.
Keep that little rascal away from me.
Where are you putting me?
- In the guest bedroom upstairs.
- I hate climbing stairs.
I don't know why you and
the family didn't come to Marseille
for the signing
of the marriage contract.
- It'd made life easier for me.
- Papa's far too busy to take time off.
What?
- Ready?
- Sure.
My two most favorite
people in the world.
Follow me, gentlemen.
I have the plans, the drawings,
the projected earnings,
and more importantly,
the estimated profits
we will reap from our enterprise.
I submitted the proposal
to the Minister of the Interior
and have already received word
that the concession
will be granted
before the end of next week.
I'm sure Mr. Debray
helped in that regard.
He owed me, and still does.
Here, gentlemen,
is the business plan
drawn up to the last franc.
I don't need to look at any of this.
I trust you, Baron.
Splendid.
What about you, Count?
See, my fear is trains are not suitable
to transport passengers.
Goods, yes.
But passengers, I somehow doubt
will be attracted to the idea.
But look at London.
Look at England.
The british love their trains.
- But we are french.
- We are people, same as they are.
Quiet, please.
That's my daughter.
You think I would not
recognize her voice?
You must take me to her now.
They're in there.
- Unannounced?
- No, no. I told her you were coming.
She's expecting you.
No, no, no.
Do not stop on my account,
please.
Sorry.
I see I'm disturbing you.
Is Eugenia's lesson over, Baron?
As you can hear, no.
Her lesson has been extended.
I did tell her I'd be here
after the hour of two.
My daughter is indisposed, sir.
I don't understand.
Have I offended
anyone in any way?
Eugenia doesn't want
to be disturbed today.
Valentine?
Your grandmother
wants to see you.
I've been waiting
so long for you.
- When is the signing of the contract?
- Tomorrow evening.
- I'll be here in the morning with a cart.
- I can't. You know I can't.
Please, don't marry Franz.
- I love you, Valentine.
- I can't. I'm sorry.
Valentine?
Come here, darling.
Are you well-rested?
I have bruises from being jaunted
in that carriage, but forget about me.
You must be very excited.
I am.
Do you love the man?
Franz is
is very sweet.
Love isn't everything.
As long as you like him,
you will grow to love him.
Your grandfather's last wish
was that this union
between our families be cemented.
If he was still alive,
he'd be extremely happy.
As your mother would be, too.
God rest her soul.
I wish she was here now.
God took her.
And he will take me soon, I fear.
And when he does,
your future will be secure.
I have left everything to you,
and to you alone, Valentine.
You don't seem happy.
Come.
Go now. I shall see you
at the signing of the contract.
Valentine?
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
There is another way out
of this marriage, you know.
You once expressed an interest
in entering a convent.
I'm sure if you did so,
no one would hold it against you,
not even your Grandmama.
But then, what would happen
with Grandpapa?
He has Barrois and us,
of course, to look after him.
If I entered a convent
and took the veil,
all of my inheritance
would go to my father.
- Would it really?
- You know very well it would.
And from him, it would go
to Edward, his only son.
Which is what you want
more than anything. Isn't it, Heloise?
I am just offering some advice
as one woman to another.
You know the Morrel boy, Max?
He's in love with Villefort's daughter.
Valentine? I know.
Poor boy's wasting his time, though.
She just got engaged to Franz d'Epinay.
She's not very happy,
but she's the obedient type.
Always does
what her father tells her to.
The Count wants
to stop it from happening.
The d'Epinay family are known
to be staunch royalists.
So?
I recall reading something
about Franz's father. He was
He was murdered.
I need to go to the library
to refresh my memory.
Well, do it soon.
The Count is impatient.
- Count, how are you?
- Very well, thank you, Valentine.
I'm afraid my father and stepmother
are not in right now.
I know.
I'm here to see Mr. Noirtier.
My grandfather cannot speak, sir.
He doesn't have to.
All he has to do is listen.
I have something very important
I need to tell him.
Who's that, Valentine?
This is the Count of Monte Cristo, Edward.
He's come to visit Grandpapa.
- Good day to you, Count.
- And to you too, young man.
If he blinks twice, it means yes.
And if he closes his eyes, it means no.
I need to speak to him in private,
if you don't mind.
Thank you for seeing me, sir.
May I speak frankly with you?
Your granddaughter
is being forced into a marriage
with Franz d'Epinay against her will.
She's desperately unhappy, sir.
She has her whole life
ahead of her.
And no one has the right
to steal happiness from another.
Especially not someone
as young as Valentine. It's sad.
And I believe
you might be able to help.
Mr. d'Epinay,
the names of your witnesses?
The Viscount de Morcerf
and Mr. Beauchamp.
And yours, Mr. Villefort?
Me, myself and the Marchioness
de Saint-Meran
What is it, Barrois?
Mr. Noirtier
would like to see Mr. d'Epinay.
For what reason?
He wishes to communicate
something to him prior to the signing.
No, no.
This is most inconvenient.
It's fine, Mr. Villefort.
We have the whole evening.
Follow me, please, sir.
Father, please be brief.
You're holding up proceedings.
This?
You want Mr. d'Epinay
to read it aloud?
- What is that?
- This is a confession.
Mr. Noirtier dictated it
to me this afternoon.
"The following confession
is made by me, Mr. Noirtier,
of my own free will
and without remorse."
"On the evening
of the 4th of March, 1815"
That's the night
my father was murdered.
"I, believing that Gen. d'Epinay
had changed allegiance"
"from the King
to the Emperor Napoleon,"
"invited him to a secret meeting
of the Bonapartist Club in Paris,"
"where details of Napoleon's
escape from the island of Elba"
"were made known to him.
During the course of the meeting,"
"it became clear that Gen. d'Epinay
could not be trusted with this information,"
"and, fearful of being betrayed
and exposed,"
"it was decided that,
in the interests of our cause,"
"we should ensure
he did not do as such."
"I decided to keep an eye on him."
"Instead of returning to his home,"
"Gen. d'Epinay walked
in the direction of the King's palace."
"It became clear to me that his intentions
were indeed to expose us."
"He drew his sword,
and I drew mine."
"And we duelled in the street."
"And I killed him."
Marrying the woman whose grandfather
killed my father is preposterous.
What brings you to Paris?
I
What happened to your hand?
There's blood on it, Father.
No, I cut myself last night
on a rusty railing.
Mr. d'Epinay
Sir, surely you don't believe
a word of this.
This is the ramblings
of a delusional mind.
I mean, look at him, look at the man.
He's sick. He's mad. He's not well.
This is not the confession
of a madman, sir.
Can we proceed, please?
I'm sorry.
- We're leaving.
- What's going on?
Gentlemen
Gentlemen, I implore you.
This is all a terrible,
terrible misunderstanding.
There's only one thing
in Mr. Noirtier's favor.
It was not, as we all assumed,
an assassination, but a duel.
- It's not true.
- You shall never hear from me again, sir.
Let's go.
Who is that for?
- The Marchioness.
- Oh, herbal tea, is it?
- Yes.
- Barrois was looking for you.
Your grandfather
wants to say goodnight.
I can take the tea
up to the Marchioness.
It's fine, I'll do it.
I won't be long.
I shall be leaving
first thing in the morning.
Sorry things didn't go as planned.
Your father's father
is a diabolical man. Always has been!
That's an awful thing to say,
Grandmama.
- Good night, child.
- Night.
Doctor, this way.
She suffered greatly
by the look of it.
- Who was the last to see her alive?
- I was.
I brought her tea,
said goodnight and
She complained of nothing?
No stomachache or anything?
- Nothing.
- No discomfort?
No.
Bring me some sugar.
A handful should be enough.
- What is it, Doctor?
- Who prepared this tea?
- Valentine.
- Who delivered it to the Marchioness?
Valentine did.
I offered to, but she insisted
on doing it herself.
Thank you.
It's as I thought.
The Marchioness has been
poisoned with brucine.
They're here.
Mr. Villefort
My daughter's upstairs,
expecting you.
She will be
well treated
where she's going, will she not?
Well, I have spoken
to the governor of the prison,
and he has assured me she will receive
preferential treatment, sir.
Come along, then.
Say goodbye now.
What?
Your breakfast, sir.
Yes, I see that.
Thank you.
Sir, we are worried about you.
About me? What the devil
are you talking about?
We hear you at night, sir,
walking around the house.
Late at night,
in the early hours of the morning,
walking, up and down.
It seems you don't sleep, sir.
I sleep.
I don't need much sleep.
You mustn't worry, I'm fine.
Well?
I've been keeping an eye
on the Count's steward.
Every so often, he visits
a man named Caderousse.
At first, I thought they were just friends,
but then I delved deeper.
Started making inquiries
into this Caderousse.
It seems he came to Paris
with money to spare.
Spent most of his time in libraries,
perusing old newspapers,
and researching three people.
You, Mr. Villefort,
the banker, Baron Danglars,
and the Count de Morcerf.
The Count had the three of us
over for dinner the other night.
Well, that doesn't
sound like a coincidence.
- Do you
- I want to know what this
Caderousse is up to
with the damned Monte Cristo.
Mr. Villefort. I can't just
No, no, of course you can't,
you greedy fuck!
Enough?
I want to know everything.
Outside is fine.
Who's here?
It's late.
What are you doing up?
What's going to happen
to Fernand Mondego?
I'm still waiting
for a reply from the Sultan.
Either way,
I shall ensure he's exposed
and publicly disgraced.
That will harm
his wife and his son.
I expect it will.
But remember, they too have
profited from his evil deeds.
The day you arrived, you said
you wanted to avenge your father's death
more than anything in this world.
We're going to do precisely that.
You shouldn't worry
about these things.
Really, you shouldn't.
The Count of Monte Cristo's steward
dropped this off for you, madame.
Thank you, Marie.
That'll be all.
I won't be here for dinner.
Those look lovely, Mama.
What kind of man gives a woman,
a married woman, mind you,
earrings out of the blue?
Gratitude for what?
Perhaps for accepting
his invitation to dinner.
I have a good mind
to return them.
You don't understand him.
He's naturally generous.
I shall see you later, Mama.
Been spending money again,
have you?
- They're a gift.
- From who?
The Count of Monte Cristo.
I believe he fancies
you for a mistress.
I don't think he's that type.
You think he's content enough
fucking that young protege of his
and doesn't need
to look elsewhere?
You have such a vile mind,
Fernand.
I have eyes, Mercedes.
I saw you at the ball, walking off
alone with him into the garden.
There was no harm in that.
- It's embarrassing.
- Please.
And at his dinner, the way you were
looking at him, talking to him.
I'm not blind.
It must be terrible living
tormented by jealousy.
I demand you return
those earrings
and put a stop to any ideas
he may be harboring about you.
I will not.
You refuse me?
I think they look nice on me.
Fernand!
Thank you for coming.
Why in here, may I ask?
I know no one who comes
to this park.
I see.
I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time.
I'm due at Baron Danglars' house at 4:00.
This won't take long, I
I'm afraid I
Who did this to you?
Mercedes?
You've never
called me that before.
Well, it's your name, is it not?
I have to return this to you.
You don't like them?
I like them.
But my husband doesn't.
You quarreled with him over this?
Yes.
Tell me, Count
have you ever truly been in love?
Once.
What happened?
I went away for a long time and
She didn't wait for you?
She thought I was dead.
Perhaps
she's still waiting for you.
No.
No, she moved on with her life.
She is now a different woman.
And I'm a different man.
I'm afraid my time
with you is over, Countess.
I'm sorry
I'm sorry about the earrings.
The earrings are nothing.
Goodbye.