Children of the Stones (1977) s01e07 Episode Script
Full Circle
CHILDREN OF THE STONES Dad, there's no way out of the circle.
Dai told me.
There's no way out until the stones release us.
Mumbo-jumbo Come on.
- It's no good dad! - We can try.
- We can't get out! - Matt, what's the matter with you? You're behaving as if you've been braidwashed already! We tried to escape this morning, and what happened? We found ourselves back here.
Dai was right.
We're trapped.
Hello, darling.
Finished your prep? Yes, mother.
Those equasions, suddenly they're so easy.
Miss Clegg's moved you to the high table? Yes, we're all there now.
All except Matthew.
I don't suppose you'll have long to wait.
Happy day, Mrs.
Smythe, Miss Sandra.
Happy day, Mrs.
Crabtree.
I've a message for you.
Professor Brake and his son? I'm just on my way.
Don't be late now.
Poor things They must have felt so left out.
Alright.
Now what have we got to go on? We know that the circle here is in alignment with Hendrick's supernova.
- Which is now a black hole.
- Right.
- What do we know about black holes, dad? - Oh, not much.
They're collapsed stars whose huge gravitational forces allow nothing to not even lightwaves, to escape.
We know that anything that comes within their boundaries is sucked into the centre and crushed out of existance.
Suppose Hendrick has managed to to harness that imploding energy, suppose he's using it somehow to turn the villagers into happy-dayers? - But why? - Well, if he's some sort of priest, perhaps he thinks he's doing it for their own good! There are enough men who have said that this century! I'm not talking about this century.
I'm talking about something that happened thousands of years ago.
Something that keeps repeating itself.
In the beginning was the star And the star was some sort of god.
Hendrick's supernova Ursa XB-1, the great bear.
Bear, bear worship! Hendrick said it was one of the oldest forms of religion.
Perhaps it has some sort of benign power? But then, when the supernova became a black hole, the power was reversed.
And the priests use it to extract well, something.
Man's ability to think for himself, the quality that makes him human.
So that's what goes on in Hendrick's peculiar dining room, whenever XB-1 is in aligment with the circle.
Wait a minute, wait a minute Being in the constellation of the great bear, that'll be fairly frequent.
Daily, probably.
He still needs split-second timing to predict the moment of alignment.
Well that will explain the computer you found in the crypt of the church.
And all the digital clocks around the house.
No, he needs something far more accurate than that.
Perhaps there's a master clock somewhere.
Sending out signals to the rest? Well, it's possible.
- Quartz! - No, it's not accurate enough.
Atomic.
Molecules Wait a minute, wait a minute Ageing brain grinds exceeding slow.
Hendrick caught you in the crypt, right? You said you saw equipment, machinery.
The vent was making you choke, making your eyes water, right? That's right.
I smelt trouble.
- Ammonia.
You smelt ammonia in the crypt.
- Yes.
The atomic clock is sometimes controlled by the amonium molecule.
That's where he keeps it Dad, if we could alter - No, it's impossible.
- Are you sure? Atomic clocks can't be altered.
Nothing can change the ammonia molecule.
And that's why they keep such super accurate time.
All these digital clocks must be driven by a master signal.
Can't we interrupt it? Feed in extra pulses? - So they'll gain time.
- So will we! We'll get Hendrick to process us before the black hole is in position up there.
- So we stay as we are.
- That is our way out! This must be the junction box.
Feeds down to the central heating system.
Yes, I shall want the oscilloscope and the oscillator.
Wonder what's happened to our luggage.
It's in the car.
Unless - Unless what? Well, Hendrick is expecting us to stay.
Perhaps he's had it brought into the house.
Come on! - Ah, Link, everything ready? - Indeed, sir.
Keep them well up to time, won't you? Nothing must go wrong.
Come on! Right, what does it look like? 200 volt sec, 55.
2.
It's a square wave.
They're square waves? That can't be a main signal.
Right.
The atomic masterclock must be driving the digitals.
Now Hendrick said dinner was in 55 minutes, can you remember from when? 19:49.
It's now 20:15.
Gives us about half an hour.
Less.
- Got a pencil? - Yes.
One of yours, I'm afraid.
Now I want five minutes extra.
Work out what frequency we need.
Dad? Talking of Ursa Major Early man worshipped the great bear, right? Right.
Did you know the Gaelic word for bear is Math? Get it? Maths.
I looked it up.
- Have you finished? We need a 64.
1 hertz signal.
Gives us just under 5 minutes in the next half hour.
I hope that's enough.
Alright, let's hope Hendrick is not clockwatching.
4 minutes 12 seconds gained.
Matt - Dad, we've got it all wrong.
- What? Of course, it's the other way up! - What are you on about? - The black hole.
The gravity's so great not even light particles can escape.
but whatever it is, this energy, doesn't start there.
It comes from here.
So the dish here, the circle, is a transmitter.
- Transmitting what? - Evil? Or Hendrick's concept of evil.
The capacity to do wrong.
The priest sacrificed to his god.
Hold on a minute.
Where's the power source? Where does he get the power for the transmission? Do you remember the night I discovered that the ley lines all led up to this house? - Ley lines? - They bring the power.
Psychic power to the circle.
A pagan storehouse of energy Dinner is served.
Aren't you going to say, what an extraordinary room? Most people do.
- In what way extraordinary? What about my throne? Unusual piece, don't you think? Splendid.
But it's exactly the sort of thing I would expected a man of your conceit to have chosen.
You think I'm conceited? I think you have an exagerated sense of your own importance.
I'm sorry, but you really are so predictable.
Even Matt here can tell you exactly what your next move will be.
Really? You'll sit on your throne between dad and me, and tell me that the table acts like a transmitter.
focussing psychic energies gathered by the stone disch of the circle.
Let's see if you're right, shall we? Bon apetit! My children.
Another village ceremony? Don't you think you're overdoing them a bit? There are many just now, during the summer solstice.
The time of ancient magic.
The rituals are important.
Traditions are very strong in this part of the country.
Do you still practice human sacrifice? Crude and unnecessary.
The methods of earlier times are much more civilized.
Methods of what? Purging the community of sin.
The task of a priest.
Accepting the burden, taking it on one's own shoulders.
Anger of fire, fire of speech, breath of knowledge, render us free from harm, return to us the innocence that once we knew.
Complete the circle.
Make us at one with nature and the elements.
It is time! Arise, my children.
I commune, and identify, with the forces of nature.
Your sin is my sin, your guilt is my guilt.
You are free.
I have fulfilled my function.
You are happy? - So happy - Happy.
- Happy day indeed.
My flock is cleansed, my task is done.
Take them outside.
When you join the circle, your initiation will be complete.
You will be happy ones.
What's happened? What's happened? Master, they are still impure.
The circle is broken.
Your protection is gone.
Come on Matt, you get Sandra! Don't look back! Mother! Mother what's wrong! - Sandra! - No! Matt! Come on, come on! - What are you up to, boy? - Dai! You're alive! Alive? Of course I'm alive! Thought I was dead, did you? That I had no more use for this place? We came because it's safe, remember? Safe? What is this? Some kind of riddle? - In a way No time for riddles, I've got my work to do.
All these knives got to get sharpened, see? - Whose is that? - That? - Belonged to my father, that did.
- And his father before him.
But Where are the rabbits? The pheasants? I You were right, boy.
- Dai? - Aye, Dai.
Now be off with you.
And take him with you.
Dad It's Dai.
Get back to your cottage, and leave me to my work.
You know us, Dai.
You know our cottage.
No friend of mine, professor Brake.
No knives for Dai to sharpen, never! - You know us? - Yes, I know you.
- Dai! - Come on, Matt It looks different.
Professor, master Matthew! Where have you been? We've been so worried.
Oh Mrs.
Smythe, you can cancel that call.
They're back, safe and sound.
Adam! The car was still there this morning, outside the cottage, luggage and all.
We've been worried to death.
What happened? It's a long story.
I'm not quite sure.
Are you still determined to leave us? If we can.
I'm glad we have such a hold on you.
It's been nice.
For me too.
- Goodbye, Matt.
- Yes, bye.
Sandra will be furious she's missed you.
According to her you're best in the class.
The others must be very backwards.
- Mrs.
Crabtree - Goodbye.
Did it happen? Or didn't it? I don't know, Matt.
I just don't know.
Perhaps there's another circle, besides the stones.
- What? - Time.
Perhaps that's circular too.
You mean it might all happen again one day? It may already be happening, to the people inside the time track.
- Do you want to go back and find out? - What I want is a sandwich.
Don't tell me Peanut butter, strawberry mousse, gherkins, golden syrup.
Ah, Mr.
Link.
Sir Joshua Litton.
Morning, sir.
Pleasant drive? Delightful.
Can't tell you what a relief it is to get out of London.
You couldn't find a nicer part of the world to retire to than this.
Ideal.
I believe I shall be very happy here.
Come in, sir, will you?
Dai told me.
There's no way out until the stones release us.
Mumbo-jumbo Come on.
- It's no good dad! - We can try.
- We can't get out! - Matt, what's the matter with you? You're behaving as if you've been braidwashed already! We tried to escape this morning, and what happened? We found ourselves back here.
Dai was right.
We're trapped.
Hello, darling.
Finished your prep? Yes, mother.
Those equasions, suddenly they're so easy.
Miss Clegg's moved you to the high table? Yes, we're all there now.
All except Matthew.
I don't suppose you'll have long to wait.
Happy day, Mrs.
Smythe, Miss Sandra.
Happy day, Mrs.
Crabtree.
I've a message for you.
Professor Brake and his son? I'm just on my way.
Don't be late now.
Poor things They must have felt so left out.
Alright.
Now what have we got to go on? We know that the circle here is in alignment with Hendrick's supernova.
- Which is now a black hole.
- Right.
- What do we know about black holes, dad? - Oh, not much.
They're collapsed stars whose huge gravitational forces allow nothing to not even lightwaves, to escape.
We know that anything that comes within their boundaries is sucked into the centre and crushed out of existance.
Suppose Hendrick has managed to to harness that imploding energy, suppose he's using it somehow to turn the villagers into happy-dayers? - But why? - Well, if he's some sort of priest, perhaps he thinks he's doing it for their own good! There are enough men who have said that this century! I'm not talking about this century.
I'm talking about something that happened thousands of years ago.
Something that keeps repeating itself.
In the beginning was the star And the star was some sort of god.
Hendrick's supernova Ursa XB-1, the great bear.
Bear, bear worship! Hendrick said it was one of the oldest forms of religion.
Perhaps it has some sort of benign power? But then, when the supernova became a black hole, the power was reversed.
And the priests use it to extract well, something.
Man's ability to think for himself, the quality that makes him human.
So that's what goes on in Hendrick's peculiar dining room, whenever XB-1 is in aligment with the circle.
Wait a minute, wait a minute Being in the constellation of the great bear, that'll be fairly frequent.
Daily, probably.
He still needs split-second timing to predict the moment of alignment.
Well that will explain the computer you found in the crypt of the church.
And all the digital clocks around the house.
No, he needs something far more accurate than that.
Perhaps there's a master clock somewhere.
Sending out signals to the rest? Well, it's possible.
- Quartz! - No, it's not accurate enough.
Atomic.
Molecules Wait a minute, wait a minute Ageing brain grinds exceeding slow.
Hendrick caught you in the crypt, right? You said you saw equipment, machinery.
The vent was making you choke, making your eyes water, right? That's right.
I smelt trouble.
- Ammonia.
You smelt ammonia in the crypt.
- Yes.
The atomic clock is sometimes controlled by the amonium molecule.
That's where he keeps it Dad, if we could alter - No, it's impossible.
- Are you sure? Atomic clocks can't be altered.
Nothing can change the ammonia molecule.
And that's why they keep such super accurate time.
All these digital clocks must be driven by a master signal.
Can't we interrupt it? Feed in extra pulses? - So they'll gain time.
- So will we! We'll get Hendrick to process us before the black hole is in position up there.
- So we stay as we are.
- That is our way out! This must be the junction box.
Feeds down to the central heating system.
Yes, I shall want the oscilloscope and the oscillator.
Wonder what's happened to our luggage.
It's in the car.
Unless - Unless what? Well, Hendrick is expecting us to stay.
Perhaps he's had it brought into the house.
Come on! - Ah, Link, everything ready? - Indeed, sir.
Keep them well up to time, won't you? Nothing must go wrong.
Come on! Right, what does it look like? 200 volt sec, 55.
2.
It's a square wave.
They're square waves? That can't be a main signal.
Right.
The atomic masterclock must be driving the digitals.
Now Hendrick said dinner was in 55 minutes, can you remember from when? 19:49.
It's now 20:15.
Gives us about half an hour.
Less.
- Got a pencil? - Yes.
One of yours, I'm afraid.
Now I want five minutes extra.
Work out what frequency we need.
Dad? Talking of Ursa Major Early man worshipped the great bear, right? Right.
Did you know the Gaelic word for bear is Math? Get it? Maths.
I looked it up.
- Have you finished? We need a 64.
1 hertz signal.
Gives us just under 5 minutes in the next half hour.
I hope that's enough.
Alright, let's hope Hendrick is not clockwatching.
4 minutes 12 seconds gained.
Matt - Dad, we've got it all wrong.
- What? Of course, it's the other way up! - What are you on about? - The black hole.
The gravity's so great not even light particles can escape.
but whatever it is, this energy, doesn't start there.
It comes from here.
So the dish here, the circle, is a transmitter.
- Transmitting what? - Evil? Or Hendrick's concept of evil.
The capacity to do wrong.
The priest sacrificed to his god.
Hold on a minute.
Where's the power source? Where does he get the power for the transmission? Do you remember the night I discovered that the ley lines all led up to this house? - Ley lines? - They bring the power.
Psychic power to the circle.
A pagan storehouse of energy Dinner is served.
Aren't you going to say, what an extraordinary room? Most people do.
- In what way extraordinary? What about my throne? Unusual piece, don't you think? Splendid.
But it's exactly the sort of thing I would expected a man of your conceit to have chosen.
You think I'm conceited? I think you have an exagerated sense of your own importance.
I'm sorry, but you really are so predictable.
Even Matt here can tell you exactly what your next move will be.
Really? You'll sit on your throne between dad and me, and tell me that the table acts like a transmitter.
focussing psychic energies gathered by the stone disch of the circle.
Let's see if you're right, shall we? Bon apetit! My children.
Another village ceremony? Don't you think you're overdoing them a bit? There are many just now, during the summer solstice.
The time of ancient magic.
The rituals are important.
Traditions are very strong in this part of the country.
Do you still practice human sacrifice? Crude and unnecessary.
The methods of earlier times are much more civilized.
Methods of what? Purging the community of sin.
The task of a priest.
Accepting the burden, taking it on one's own shoulders.
Anger of fire, fire of speech, breath of knowledge, render us free from harm, return to us the innocence that once we knew.
Complete the circle.
Make us at one with nature and the elements.
It is time! Arise, my children.
I commune, and identify, with the forces of nature.
Your sin is my sin, your guilt is my guilt.
You are free.
I have fulfilled my function.
You are happy? - So happy - Happy.
- Happy day indeed.
My flock is cleansed, my task is done.
Take them outside.
When you join the circle, your initiation will be complete.
You will be happy ones.
What's happened? What's happened? Master, they are still impure.
The circle is broken.
Your protection is gone.
Come on Matt, you get Sandra! Don't look back! Mother! Mother what's wrong! - Sandra! - No! Matt! Come on, come on! - What are you up to, boy? - Dai! You're alive! Alive? Of course I'm alive! Thought I was dead, did you? That I had no more use for this place? We came because it's safe, remember? Safe? What is this? Some kind of riddle? - In a way No time for riddles, I've got my work to do.
All these knives got to get sharpened, see? - Whose is that? - That? - Belonged to my father, that did.
- And his father before him.
But Where are the rabbits? The pheasants? I You were right, boy.
- Dai? - Aye, Dai.
Now be off with you.
And take him with you.
Dad It's Dai.
Get back to your cottage, and leave me to my work.
You know us, Dai.
You know our cottage.
No friend of mine, professor Brake.
No knives for Dai to sharpen, never! - You know us? - Yes, I know you.
- Dai! - Come on, Matt It looks different.
Professor, master Matthew! Where have you been? We've been so worried.
Oh Mrs.
Smythe, you can cancel that call.
They're back, safe and sound.
Adam! The car was still there this morning, outside the cottage, luggage and all.
We've been worried to death.
What happened? It's a long story.
I'm not quite sure.
Are you still determined to leave us? If we can.
I'm glad we have such a hold on you.
It's been nice.
For me too.
- Goodbye, Matt.
- Yes, bye.
Sandra will be furious she's missed you.
According to her you're best in the class.
The others must be very backwards.
- Mrs.
Crabtree - Goodbye.
Did it happen? Or didn't it? I don't know, Matt.
I just don't know.
Perhaps there's another circle, besides the stones.
- What? - Time.
Perhaps that's circular too.
You mean it might all happen again one day? It may already be happening, to the people inside the time track.
- Do you want to go back and find out? - What I want is a sandwich.
Don't tell me Peanut butter, strawberry mousse, gherkins, golden syrup.
Ah, Mr.
Link.
Sir Joshua Litton.
Morning, sir.
Pleasant drive? Delightful.
Can't tell you what a relief it is to get out of London.
You couldn't find a nicer part of the world to retire to than this.
Ideal.
I believe I shall be very happy here.
Come in, sir, will you?