Theodosia (2022) s01e18 Episode Script

1
Previously on Theodosia
Your magic could bring you
fame and fortune. Why
not put on a show here?
"Will the Wondrous - live at the
Arcade for one night only." Eh?
Any progress on the cuneiform?
It is nothing but
garbled nonsense.
Grandad really didn't
want anybody reading this.
Theo!
Nigella, it's really important
that I can trust you with this.
Of course, I'm here to help.
So, the Serpents
really are back.
If these Serpents are as
dangerous as you say they are,
we have to be prepared.
Nothing is going to stop me.
"It was the best of times.
"It was the worst of times.
"It was the age of wisdom.
"It was the age of foolishness.
"It was the season of light.
"It was the season of darkness.
"We had everything before us.
"We had nothing before us.
"We were"
..not listening to
a word I'm saying.
I was just resting my eyes.
OK, it's been a hard
week's learning.
I think we can let you off
for the last five minutes.
Busy weekend ahead.
What? Oh, yeah, Will's show.
And Theo's birthday.
Sure, of course, that too.
Hey, almost-birthday
girl, you coming or what?
Where? Er, to help with
Will's big magic show.
Dunno, might have mentioned
it about a billion times.
Oh. Yes, yeah. I'll
catch you later, guys.
I
This close to deciphering
Grandad's journal.
After what happened,
shouldn't we maybe just
lock the pyramidion away?
Seriously, no more
weird nightmares.
And besides, that thing's been
in the museum for decades -
it never hurt anyone until
we started poking it. OK.
I know you mean well, but
Aapep is somehow involved,
and for future reference,
a giant snake who wants to
destroy the sun? Always dangerous.
Theo? You're planning to stay?
I thought you were
off to help Will.
Oh, I'd love to, but,
I mean, you've seen what
the pyramidion's capable of.
Let me help.
Don't worry, I won't
touch anything dangerous.
But if we can safely
make sense of it,
then you can join your friends.
Thanks, Nigella.
Maybe she's right. What if we're
not being supportive enough?
Am I the worst best friend ever?
Who am I kidding?
Of course I'm not.
Hey, Theo's just being Theo.
She'll say when she needs us.
Henry, you're going
to lose that hand.
Sorry. Um Penny Arcade?
Bit of warning next time!
Is that a Henderson-Backley
Cinematograph?
You know, in the biz, we
just call it a camera.
So, where do you want me?
As far away as possible.
I have an extremely
important film to make.
Your loss.
What kind of film?
Action? Comedy?
Well, her ladyship didn't say,
but prepare to be blown away
by a sumptuous visual feast.
If it doesn't involve me, then
major yawn. Let's go, fanboy.
You know, I still
can't quite believe it.
All that dangerous magic inside.
No, no. Nigella, please.
Be careful. It's not safe.
Sorry. Don't want to end
up in a deadly dreamworld.
That was the last pyramidion.
We've got no idea
what this one can do.
I'll bet it's bad, though.
The big snake's
kind of a giveaway.
Maybe snakes just
have a bad rep?
Most snakes, maybe.
But that snake is Aapep.
Seriously bad news.
So, you're trying to unlock
this dangerous thing because?
Because maybe it's something to
do with the Serpents of Chaos.
Maybe it's a weapon that we
can use against them and Aapep.
All I know is that Grandad kept
this thing in here for a reason.
It'd be nice if he mentioned
what that reason was.
Naughty Great Uncle Harold.
I bet there's something
in his journal.
I need to work out how
to understand it, though.
That looks like it's going well.
Well, I did find one spell
that I think might work.
It's just it is a
little bit complicated.
Well, I don't know magic,
but I do know two heads
are better than one.
Action.
Next, we behold an alabaster
vessel from the 15th Dynasty.
Do not be deceived
by its simplicity,
such a fine
You're too far
away. Move closer.
Look, I know what I'm doing.
And for the last time, this
thing doesn't record sound. Hmm.
Nigella tells me the British Museum
have filmed their entire collection.
I will not be outdone by that
insufferable Lord Snowthorpe.
Don't you worry, your ladyship,
I was born with a gift.
I could be the next
Georges Melies.
Yes, yes. Enough wittering.
Move that contraption closer.
Aaaand act
HE SIGHS QUIETLY
This gives a whole new
meaning to moving pictures.
The mystified wall
has a mind of its own.
Turn your back on it
at your own peril.
HE GASPS
Oh!
Well, what do you think?
Uh, yeah. That
was awesome, mate.
Safiya?
I mean, it's good, but, um
..this is a real show, in
front of a real audience.
Shouldn't you be doing
something bigger?
I thought we were
being supportive.
She's right, the routine's weak.
If this goes right, Artie might
make this a regular event.
I just need to blow
the audience away,
but right now, I've got nothing.
Luckily for you,
being massively impressive
is my speciality.
Hear me, Ancients.
Thoth, god of
wisdom and writing,
reveal to me this
text's true meaning.
THEO COUGHS
Maybe you got the words wrong?
Oh, remind me of the
Egyptian word for "hopeless"?
You know, the worst part is,
the key's probably right here,
but my clumsy brother
spilt ink everywhere.
It's nothing as fancy as magic,
but there's an old trick my dad
taught me if you'll let me?
Yeah. Go for it.
A week's worth of hard study,
and you solve it in under
ten seconds with a pencil.
More like five
seconds, but, yeah.
They're hieroglyphs.
"Em-un u
"Hemiunu." Why do
I know that name?
Because he designed
the Great Pyramid.
Yes!
Of course!
Safiya keeps saying how
he's one of her ancestors.
Hey, I didn't know you were
interested in Egyptology.
I've been studying. It is my
dearest cousin's favourite subject.
So you think this Hemiunu
could be some kind of
Keyword for the
monoalphabetical cipher.
Well, we just need to take these
letters that I've already translated
from the cuneiform and perform
a character substitution.
See?
I can be smart.
"To anyone reading this
"Augustin and I have seen
our wildest dreams exceeded.
"We may have unearthed
"the greatest archaeological
discovery of all time."
The pyramidion - he found
it at the Great Pyramid.
Well, don't stop, keep reading.
You need something
spectacular, like a
..like seeing the pyramids
for the first time.
Not all of us have had that
pleasure. Neither has your audience,
which is exactly why you should give
your show an ancient Egyptian theme.
I don't know. It
sounds a bit extra.
I'm a street magician.
No, it's brilliant.
You could tell one of those
old legends Theo likes.
I bet she'd love that.
Well, if she was here.
If she ruins things with Will
over that ancient box of tricks
Anyways, there's no time
to build an Egyptian set.
Who said anything about building?
I've got a much better idea.
Lady Throckmorton points at
another ancient pot. Take 47.
And action.
Here we find another
remarkable specimen,
procured by yours truly from
the Valley of the Kings.
I'm sorry, your ladyship,
I can't crank any more.
Hmph! Gross unprofessionalism.
I shall have to start
that entire speech anew.
Oh, for the last time,
there's no flaming sound!
I shall retire now, to
prepare for my next scene.
I suggest you use the time to
rediscover your can-do attitude.
Are you really sure about this?
There must be somewhere else we can
film. It's not like there's anything
we can do about it, not with
Granny on the prowl upstairs.
And these are the perfect props.
Do you want your show to
be unforgettable or not?
OK, I guess.
But no-one touches the
pyramidion, all right?
We passed the test,
didn't we? It's safe now.
But let's not take any chances.
Look, I don't want to trigger
anything magical after
what happened last time.
Yeah. You should
have seen mirror me.
Total diva. So high maintenance.
Completely unlike me.
Whatever. I'm not facing the
Head of the Serpents again.
I mean, if it was him.
Or was it a dream?
A really freaky, nasty dream.
EERIE WHOOSHING
You OK?
Yeah, yeah, it's just
a just a breeze.
OK, let's make this
thing spectacular.
Just wait, this is going to
look exactly like ancient Egypt.
WHOOSHING
Once Henry develops that film,
it's going to blow your
audience's minds. Yeah? I hope so.
I just need to get
this performance right.
Relax, OK?
What happened to Chill Will?
Ooh, possible stage name?
Maybe not. No, You're right.
I'll think of something better.
Incrediwill?
It's fine.
Theo. Hey.
I'll, erm, see you
in there, Theo.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to go
I'm going to go get started
on your costume. Heh!
So, how is your magic
show coming along?
Better now, I think.
Not sure where I'd be
without Henry and Safiya.
Just don't let them
take over, yeah?
Safiya? Take over?
That's so not like her!
I'm pretty sure she's thinking of
a new magic name for you. What?
No. Totally not.
Well, you know,
just remember that
this is supposed to
be your big break.
I mean, this the start of
an amazing career, Will.
Yeah? You think so?
Oh, I know so.
Houdini himself will
lock himself away,
throw away the key when
he sees how good you are.
He kind of does that
already, you know.
I sort of hoped you'd
be helping me too.
Oh, Will, Will, I'm sorry.
It's just the pyramidion
Yeah, no, I get it.
And I don't know
what dangers it holds
and Honestly, it's fine.
I shouldn't have. It's fine.
Hey, Will, do you
mind if I borrow Theo?
Sorry, Will, I need
to sort this out.
I know. End-worlding
magic stuff.
Will, I promise I won't
let her miss your show.
Guess I'll see you later.
I'll be there, front row.
Nigella has the children
entirely in hand.
Believe me, Your Ladyship,
A Henderson-Backley Cinematograph
does not go wandering off.
I assume you're referring to
that contraption behind you.
Yes, exactly.
I believe the phrase is,
"Lights, camera, action."
"Augustin too had fallen
into a strange dream.
"When we awoke, we found the
pyramidion's sides fallen
"and another
pyramidion within it.
"A coincidence, surely, and yet,
"could this be some form
of ancient protection?
"Why such a great
effort at concealment?
"What must the
pyramidion contain?"
I was kind of hoping you'd tell me
that. This is great. Don't stop now.
"Naturally, this fiendish artefact
continued to surprise us."
"What appeared an indiscernible
pattern was, in fact,
"a test of our mental aptitude."
Oh, I knew there was
more to this thing.
It's another puzzle.
If we can just
Oh, wait, no.
Will's magic show. I
promised him I'd be there.
We've got time. He won't
even be warming up yet.
And we are so close
to solving this thing.
Yeah, you're right.
We can't stop now.
That's the spirit.
OK, let's do this.
Get your refreshments
before the show begins.
Milkshakes, sodas,
fizzy wurzletons.
Take, take, take. Lovely-jubbly.
Go on, son. There you go.
Hey, Not a bad turnout, eh?
No. Brilliant idea of mine.
I don't know, Safiya, this
isn't really my style.
Remind me, Will, which one of us
was the talk of Milan last spring?
The Magic Circle guy
came. I looked him up.
He's Neville Devenham.
The one who sold out the
Hippodrome for 18 whole months.
Awesome. This really
could be your big break.
Oh, man.
I really need to get this right.
Where's Theo? Have you seen her?
Um H-have-have you never
heard of being fashionably late?
That doesn't sound very Theo.
Let's go, let's go,
let's do it. CHEERING
Go out there, put
on a fantastic show
and make Theo feel
awful for missing it.
CHEERING CONTINUES
Ladies and gentlemen,
what you are about to witness
is a tale as old as time.
A story of ancient gods and a
battle fought down the aeons.
But first, my fabulous assistant
will present this simple box,
empty as you can see.
And now, illuminate!
AUDIENCE GASPS
Ladies and gentlemen, behold.
AUDIENCE GASPS
Ra
..come!
AUDIENCE GASPS
Aapep
..come!
Every night, Ra,
god of the sun,
sails his golden ship
through the underworld.
I think this one
needs to go that way.
OK.
And that completes
the top. Yeah.
Before every dawn,
he must defeat the
giant serpent Aapep
so the sun can rise again
..and light can
defeat the darkness.
And this one?
Yes, there's a line.
But Aapep is very powerful
and the battle is mighty.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
I think this is it.
Ah, no! You know, we have no
idea what's inside this thing.
But that's what you have
to find out, isn't it?
Two fearsome gods at war,
the fate of the
world in their hands.
But there can only
be one victor.
WHOOSHING
Come.
AUDIENCE GASPS
How did he do that?
AUDIENCE MURMUR
HE HISSES
HE GROWLS
What's going on, Will?
OK, I don't know. It's something
to do with magic. Real magic.
Maybe we can turn the projector off?
That's where those things came from.
Henry! It's not stopping.
The pyramidion must
have affected the film.
Great day for Theo
not to show up!
AUDIENCE SCREAM
Incredible! Look, it's
Aapep battling Ra.
WHOOSHING
Oh, wow. OK, that's new.
Look, what's this notch?
You see this?
It looks like something's
supposed to fit in there.
Like some kind of
locking mechanism?
I'm going to check the
journal, there might be a clue.
"It was as though Ra
himself was smiling upon me.
"At once, I knew exactly how
to complete this ancient test.
"But what happened next, nothing
could have prepared me for.
"I, Harold Throckmorton,
could see magic."
EERIE WHISPERING
SCREAMING
Stay in your seats, folks!
This is all part of the show!
Will, do something!
SHE SCREAMS
Run for your lives!
We need to stop them before they
destroy the arcade. With what army?
Let's think. What would Theo do?
I dunno, some sort of cage spell?
No, she's smarter than that.
She'd find a way to
reverse the spell.
That's it. Those monsters
came from the film, right?
Maybe we can throw the
projector into reverse
and suck them back in? It's
worth a try. But I'll need time.
And to not get my
head blown off.
I've got this.
Oi, you two!
Why don't you grab a chair
and watch some real magic?
Under one of these
OK! Well, that definitely
got their attention.
Me and my dumb ideas.
Any chance of hurrying up?
We're trying, but modern
stupid, modern technology
OK, I'm starting to regret
winding these guys up.
Nearly done, just hold
on a second. SHE SHRIEKS
Wind faster!
- SHE SHRIEKS - Got it!
Ha! We did it! We're amazing!
Uh-oh.
This is bad.
Grandad.
Grandad could see magic.
Why didn't he tell anyone?
Maybe he didn't
want anyone to know.
I mean, you didn't even tell
me about your power, did you?
No, no, no, you're right.
But if Grandad had it, does that
mean my powers come from the
pyramidion or did he hand
them down to me or? I
Hey, this is a lot to
get your head around.
No, I have to know.
Of course you do.
But maybe if we find
whatever fits into this slot,
it might give you all
the answers you need.
No, wait, there's
more, there's more.
Grandad says the Egyptian
legends are all true.
Hurry up! Take
everything you can!
They had to take the pyramidion
and leave Egypt immediately.
Because the Great
Pyramid isn't a tomb.
It's a prison.
It's Aapep.
Aapep is trapped inside
the Great Pyramid.
The pyramidion is
holding the key.
This is the most dangerous
artefact on the planet.
CHAINS RATTLE