Population: 11 (2024) s01e09 Episode Script

HUGO: I'm pretty sure
I know who's got me.
- Argh!
- Cassie. Would you like coffee?
No, thanks.
I don't know what's in it.
MAUREEN: It was just
a microdose.
CASSIE: Didn't feel
very micro to me.
Xylazine. A common
cattle tranquilliser.
Oh, hi. I'm looking for Gareth.
I was gonna interview him.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
LEON: If you wanna know
what goes down in Bidgee,
I'm your man.
One time, over at Charmaine's,
hippies booked out two caravans,
and whooshka!
(GARETH GRUNTS)
ANDY: You planted evidence
to get me arrested!
- (GARETH SCREAMS)
- (THUMP!)
- (GRITTY PUNK ROCK MUSIC)
- (GULLS CAW)
SONG: Seven o'clock
Get up, get ready
To start the day
at the factory
7:30
Clock in
Get ready
To start work at the factory
7:30
Clock in ♪
(TRUCK RUMBLES)
Get ready
To start work at the factory
Keep the country moving
with production
Keep the country
moving with production
Keep the country moving
with production
Keep the country
moving with production
Keep the country moving
with production
Keep the country
moving with production
Keep the country moving
with production
Keep the country
moving with production
Keep the country moving
with production ♪
(OVERLAPPING VOCALS SPEED UP)
Production, production,
production, production
Production, production
Production,
production
Production,
production, production ♪
(VOCALS ECHO AND FADE)
- (CICADAS CHIRP)
- (UNEASY MUSIC)
Hey, it's trivia tonight, right?
I was thinking of bringing
my recording gear.
Try and capture the vibe
of the town.
Are you cancelling trivia?
Can't do it without Hugo.
(CASSIE SIGHS)
That's what the town needs.
You know, to keep going.
To not lose hope.
I just mean
Hugo's the quizmaster.
Who else is gonna do it?
OK, well
can't you be the quizmaster?
Like, in Hugo's honour?
Should I do Cedric's
half-time poetry as well?
- (CHUCKLES LIGHTLY)
- Not happening.
CASSIE: OK.
What if I was quizmaster?
You?
I can do it.
Come on, it'll be good for
morale, good for business.
And great for your podcast.
(SCOFFS) That's just
an unexpected bonus.
You reckon you got the chops?
I already know
my first question.
VOICEMAIL: Hey, this is Andy.
I can't come
to the phone right now,
so leave a message
and have a great day.
- (BEEP!)
- Where are you?
(THOUGHTFULLY) Jimmy?
Hmm.
Cedric!
(UNEASY MUSIC)
(WHEEL SQUEAKS)
- (HATCH CREAKS)
- (UNSETTLING MUSIC)
Cedric, it's me. (ECHOES)
It's trivia night tonight
and, uh, I thought
me and you, you know,
the old team, we could
What was that name
we came up with?
(CHUCKLES)
Beauty and the Priest.
(SOFTLY) Nah.
(SIGHS) I'm not even
a priest anymore anyway.
Look
I'm sorry, mate.
(SCOFFS)
JIMMY: Cedric. (ECHOES)
(HATCH CREAKS)
(HATCH THUDS SHUT)
(BLEAK MUSIC)
I'm so sorry. The vendor's slow
on getting me a section 52.
I'm chasing
the insurance claims history.
MAN ON PHONE:
And it's a business, yeah?
- It's a caravan park.
- Cause of damage?
CASSIE: Fire apparently.
Oh, yeah, here it is.
Uh, "Claim denied due to fraud."
The claim was deemed fraudulent?
According to our records.
Matter deferred to police.
Anything else you need?
Oh, no. Thank you so much.
You've been very helpful.
(SOFTLY) OK.
(UNEASY MUSIC)
(DOOR SQUEAKS)
(WATER PATTERS)
CASSIE: Andy?!
- Jesus. Cassie.
- Where the hell have you been?
I've been trying
to call you nonstop.
Uh
(SIGHS) I don't know.
I, uh passed out.
What happened to your face?
Oh, I, uh
I tripped and fell down
some rocks.
I was so wasted,
I, uh I went outside
for some air and I got lost.
(STAMMERS) When I woke up,
I was miles from anywhere,
so I
Is it Do you mind
if I finish my shower, please?
Yeah. Um, I need you
to be at trivia tonight.
Trivia?
Please? For moral support?
I'm the host.
You won't want to miss it.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.
I'll, uh
I'll be there.
- CASSIE: Hmm.
- (UNEASY MUSIC)
(CICADAS CHIRP)
- (MICROPHONE FEEDBACK WHINES)
- CASSIE: Test, test.
One, two. One, two?
(TOWNSFOLK CHATTER)
CHARMAINE: OK, we can win this.
NOEL: There's about
12 sausages in that thing!
MAUREEN: OK, here we go.
Welcome to the Bidgee Pub
trivia night,
where a fresh meat tray
is up for grabs.
(TOWNSFOLK CHEER)
CASSIE: I'm very excited
to be your host.
So without further ado,
let's get into it.
- Question one
- CEDRIC: Wait a minute.
Oh, look who's back.
(TOWNSFOLK MUTTER)
We have a meat tray to win.
- Uh, no, they don't.
- No.
- Look at that.
- (TOWNSFOLK MURMUR AND CHUCKLE)
(CHAIR LEGS SCRAPE)
CASSIE: OK. Question one.
Octopuses have been described
as the Einsteins of the sea.
They have eight tentacles
and two eyes,
but how many hearts?
(TOWNSFOLK MURMUR)
Easy. It's one. Trick question.
No, she's not gonna start
with a trick question.
Oh, true, eh?
You know who'd know this?
Gareth.
He loves the sea. (ECHOES)
- (BAG RIPS)
- (GARETH SCREAMS)
- (MUFFLED, ECHOING SOUNDSCAPE)
- CASSIE: True or false?
There are more kangaroos
than people in Australia.
(TOWNSFOLK MURMUR)
(UNEASY MUSIC)
CASSIE: What year
did the Berlin Wall fall?
True or false?
It's physically impossible
(TOWNSFOLK MURMUR)
CASSIE:
What's the singular word
(TOWNSFOLK MURMUR)
CASSIE:
OK, time for a gear change.
Ooh. Bible knowledge?
No. Party drugs.
Has anyone ever had
their cocktail spiked?
No?
When a drink is spiked,
chances are the drugs
came from a dealer.
What is the maximum penalty
for drug dealing in this state?
Is it A - 40 years?
B - 25 years?
Or C - three years?
VAL: Well, it's not three.
- I thought the maximum
- Maximum?
- MAUREEN: Or is it B? 25 years?
- AUDREY: What do you reckon?
- Leon?
- Huh?
- 40
- I don't care. Put anything.
MAUREEN: I know this.
Listen. Wait.
- I've gotta think of the answer.
- (JINGLES BELL)
CASSIE: OK, that's the end
of the round, folks.
- We'll take a short break.
- CEDRIC: Um (CLEARS THROAT)
CASSIE: Yep. OK.
Uh, in keeping with tradition,
apparently,
Cedric will now read a poem.
OK, yeah.
That's more like it. Yeah.
- Cedric!
- Yay.
(TOWNSFOLK APPLAUD
HALF-HEARTEDLY)
(SIGHS AND CLEARS THROAT)
(CEDRIC CLEARS THROAT)
(CHUCKLES)
(CROAKS)
- Nup.
- (CEDRIC CONTINUES CROAKING)
- (CHUCKLES)
- Shh!
CEDRIC: They come
They come
They come for us
across the Pacific
from foreign lands
Tasked with solving
just one prob-lam
But from their presence
- A thousand troubles
- Hey.
What's with these questions?
You're pissing everybody off.
Shut up. Just trust me, alright?
- It'll be worth it.
- (JIMMY SHUSHES)
CEDRIC: A toad I am
(CROAKS)
- (CHAIR LEGS SCRAPE LOUDLY)
- (CEDRIC CONTINUES CROAKING)
ANDY: Sorry.
(CEDRIC CROAKS)
Oh, Gareth.
Pick up the phone, man.
Where are ya?
(CEDRIC CONTINUES CROAKING
AND RECITING FAINTLY)
- (LEON INHALES)
- Nice night.
- (LEON EXHALES LOUDLY)
- ANDY: So many stars, you know?
Different, uh,
constellations down here.
You know, when, uh
when I was younger, I
(LEON SPITS)
- (SIGHS)
- (PHONE RINGS)
Oh, thank God. Dom. Listen.
WOMAN ON PHONE: Andy?
It's Liliana.
(SPLUTTERS)
(CLEARS THROAT)
Sorry, hi, Liliana.
(VOICE WAVERS)
Hey, has anyone called you
about Dom?
What? What about
what about Dom?
Well, he, um
Dom's dead, Andy.
(LILIANA SOBS) They found
his body in a dumpster.
He was shot.
Robbery gone wrong or something.
(SPARSE PERCUSSIVE MUSIC)
Oh, God
(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
(SNIFFS)
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
What the fuck am I doing here?
Hope you're not thinking
about stealing a car
and leaving town, hot stuff.
- (CHUCKLES)
- Uh
Hey, uh
how's trivia night going?
Your girlfriend invited me.
She's not my Uh
(STAMMERS) Why?
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
That's what I said.
Oh, well.
Better be good,
otherwise I'll book her
for wasting my time.
Someone hit you over the head?
The (STAMMERS)
My my my what?
Well seem stupider
than normal.
Do I look alright?
And that's the cry
The constant cry
Jesus Christ on a bike.
(TEARFULLY) I want to be alone.
(CEDRIC CROAKS)
(CROAKS)
(CROAKS SADLY) Yes.
Thank you.
(SCATTERED APPLAUSE
AND LAUGHTER)
VAL: Yep. Well done.
What do you think you're doing?
- What, trivia?
- No, this ain't trivia.
Who won the cricket?
What's the capital of Rome?
That's trivia.
I told you that shit
in confidence, yeah?
It was for a podcast, Leon.
A podcast, was it?
You breathe one word about me
you'll see what happens.
CEDRIC: Did you get it?
Who called the cops? I did.
Big hello to
Sergeant Geraldine Walters.
- JIMMY: Oh. How you doin'?
- G'day.
CASSIE: OK, quick score check.
In the lead, we have
Beauty and the Priest.
(TOWNSFOLK EXCLAIM)
Followed by Bidgeegud Republic.
(HISSES VICTORIOUSLY)
LEON: Very nice. Very nice.
- (MUFFLED, ECHOING SOUNDSCAPE)
- LEON: Oh. Oi!
Oi! (ECHOES)
(CLEAR VOICE) Dickhead.
No fucking phones.
CASSIE: That's right, Leon.
Phone down, Andy,
or you'll be disqualified.
Amateur. Don't worry. It's off.
Shoot.
CASSIE: Alright.
Here we go.
What was the name of Hugo's dog?
NOEL: That's pretty easy.
It was Reggie.
LEON: You're good at this.
True or false?
Late last year, Charmaine went
to Perth for three months
to take care of a sick aunt.
Everyone knows that.
- MAUREEN: True.
- (TOWNSFOLK MURMUR)
CASSIE: OK.
Now, what is
the maximum prison sentence
for insurance fraud
in this state?
Is it A - one year?
B - 10 years?
Or C - 12 years?
I know this. It's 10 years.
- MAUREEN: You sure?
- Yes, I'm fucking sure.
- It's 10.
- SHOSHANNA: I think it's 10.
What common nut
can poison a dog,
causing it to lose control
of its nervous system and die?
(MUTTERS INDISTINCTLY)
I know. Just
CASSIE: What is the most
common cause of house fire?
Is it A - faulty wiring?
B - candles?
Or C - cooking?
(MAUREEN MURMURS INDISTINCTLY)
It's candles. Remember? Yeah.
Final question of the night.
There are motives responsible
for nearly all murders.
- What are they?
- Hmm.
CASSIE: One point
for each correct motive.
What the devil is she up to?
This round will determine
tonight's winner
and we're gonna
mark it together,
so I need you to swap answers
with another team.
JIMMY: Will you pass it to us?
LEON: Andy!
There you go.
No fucking funny business, eh?
(LAUGHS)
CASSIE: OK, everyone, ready?
- TOWNSFOLK: Mm-hm!
- CASSIE: Alright.
Hugo's dog's name was Reggie.
An easy point.
Because it all started
with Reggie.
God rest his soul.
Hugo loved that dog.
- But Charmaine hated him
- Hmm?
because he did his business
on her doorstep every morning.
Hey! Hugo trained him to do it.
So when Reggie turned up dead,
who do you think he suspected?
CEDRIC: Huh?
- This is stupid.
- CASSIE: OK.
What common nut can kill a dog?
Answer - the macadamia nut.
It shuts down
the dog's nervous system,
which is the tortured way
that Reggie died.
Next answer - what is the most
common cause of house fire?
The answer is C - cooking.
So it's unusual that the fire
that destroyed
Charmaine's caravans
was started by hippies
too stoned to snuff out
their candles.
Unless of course that was a lie?
(FLAMES WHOOSH)
And if it was, how would the
insurance company ever find out?
Who do you think you are?
The caravan park
went to rack and ruin.
The insurance payout
would have been enough
to get you out of debt,
enough to start again.
Hugo knew Charmaine
torched those vans.
So he had a way to undo her.
He tipped off
the insurance company
to make sure that
she never got paid.
The perfect revenge if it was
Charmaine who killed Reggie.
- I don't have to listen to this.
- Sit down.
CASSIE:
It's just a theory, folks.
It's just a theory.
But tonight's
not all about Charmaine.
This is from when Hugo
attended a cocktail party
at Maureen and Trevor's.
I found this photo of him
passed out.
His drink was spiked.
Heart palpitations. Nausea.
Hugo could have died that night.
And when he found out that
the "special ingredient"
came from Leon,
he had the ammo he needed.
The maximum penalty for
drug dealing is B - 25 years.
LEON: Jesus.
But Hugo was murdered
before he had the chance
to tell the cops.
What a fucking
load of horseshit.
I didn't kill Hugo.
And I'm not
a fuckin' drug dealer, OK?
And why would Hugo blame me
for something that happened
at one of those seedy parties
that they have?
He's been to hundreds of 'em.
Yeah, how about you just
stick to answers, you know
Um Like facts.
- Yeah!
- GERALDINE: If you have any.
LEON: Fuckin' facts.
OK.
Well, if Hugo had been
to those parties before,
he'd have had
Maureen's cocktails.
So why couldn't he
handle it this time?
(SIGHS) There was a mix-up.
A guest mixed Hugo
too strong a drink
and he had a reaction.
That's all. But he was fine. OK?
Who was the guest?
That's private.
LEON: Fucking exactly.
It's a pub, Your Honour.
Not a fucking courtroom.
- MAUREEN: Thank you!
- You're way off about this town.
You'd think we'd turn
on one of our own?
Hear, hear.
Well, she was right about me.
I'm not a priest.
I never was.
I tried, but I lied to you.
(SCOFFS)
But thanks to this one,
I've faced up to stuff
that I've been running
away from for years.
Ahh! I even met up
with my family.
- How did it go?
- Good.
Mm. For a day or so.
Then I had a row
with my brother and my mum.
The whole lot of them, actually.
I had to get out of there.
So I'm back.
Anyway, look, the point is
Jimmy, no-one cares
if you're a real priest
or not.
- Do we?
- TOWNSFOLK: No.
No. Absolutely not.
The point is
you're our priest.
Yeah?
Just like Cedric is our
- What, murderer?
- "artist".
(CHUCKLES) Wait a minute.
Are you saying
I'm not a real artist,
but that's OK because I'm
No, what he's saying is it
doesn't matter who you are,
because you're one of us.
Unlike some.
(UNEASY MUSIC)
But I'm still your quizmaster.
Now, do you wanna win
a meat tray or not?
- Well, yeah.
- I mean, yeah.
- We are in here
- I would like a meat tray.
- (LEON MUTTERS)
- AUDREY: Let's concentrate.
Maureen just said
a guest at that party
poured Hugo a strong drink.
Maybe it was an accident.
Or maybe
it was meant to kill him.
The person who poured
that lethal drink was Charmaine.
Charmaine wanted Hugo dead
that night
and this photo proves
that she was there.
That's Charmaine's leg
in the photo.
- What?
- CASSIE: Her pearl diver tattoo.
Why would I want Hugo dead?
Because he dobbed you in
to the insurance company
as revenge for killing his dog.
But not even Hugo had thought
through the consequences,
considering that
the maximum jail time
for insurance fraud
is B - 10 years.
(CLICKS FINGERS) Knew it.
CASSIE:
Charmaine got off lightly
with just a three-month sentence
and a good behaviour bond.
She told everyone that
she was going to look after
her sick aunt, but of
course that was false.
- You and your big mouth, Val.
- Me?
You were the only one
who knew where I really was.
CASSIE: The three most common
motives for murder
are money, jealousy and revenge.
It was revenge on Charmaine's
mind when she left jail.
So she went to
Maureen's cocktail party
and tried to poison Hugo.
And when it didn't work,
Charmaine was furious.
So she confronted Hugo
at his UFO site.
You got into an argument
and you grabbed a tyre iron
and you smacked him
over the head with it.
You hauled his body into the ute
and you drove him out
into the middle of nowhere.
You doused his body in petrol
and you set him alight.
That didn't happen.
That never happened.
I didn't kill him.
This is your pearl
I found at the UFO site.
No, it isn't.
You wanted revenge
for the money you never got
and the jail time you served.
YOU killed him.
- You lying little slag.
- Uh-uh!
- No, come on.
- You killed Hugo?
CHARMAINE:
No, she's full of shit.
Shoshy, I
- Shoshanna, wait!
- Oh, yeah, that's right, Val.
Acting like the mother you're
not, you motor-mouth bitch.
You want to talk motive.
What about Val?
Hugo treated you
like his personal ATM.
Owed you a shit ton of money.
Then when you found out he was
rooting around behind your back,
you finally had enough of
being used, so you killed him.
Get out. I want you out!
VAL: Pretending to be
my Shoshy's mum.
Trying to make up for
not taking good enough care
of your own little Bobby John
when he was alive.
(YELLS) Get out! All of you!
Trivia's over!
Oh, hang on.
Who's getting the meat tray?
Hey! You have to come now.
Hurry!
- (TOWNSFOLK MUTTER)
- CHARMAINE: Wait.
(EERIE SYNTH MUSIC)
Hugo?
Where am I?
(SYNTH MUSIC INTENSIFIES)