Whitstable Pearl (2021) s03e03 Episode Script

1
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
My pleasure.
Ready!
Can someone get the
pot on the boil, please?
Come out now, please.
On it!
Paddy's left the Codfather.
His review's online already.
How brutal was it?
Eh.
Codfather is gonna be
sleeping with the fishes.
- [BLOWS RASPBERRY]
- Hang on.
You haven't packed, have you?
I'm going! I'm going now.
Happy anniversary.
Um, okay, our train is in 45 minutes.
All right, well, pick me up in 40.
Remember what I told you.
And Paddy's table is
booked for 6 o'clock, okay?
And, Ruby, remember
to say bouillabaisse.
30 minutes, final offer.
I'll meet you at the station in 35.
Look, Ruby and I are seasoned pros.
I mean, we've got this.
[RETCHING, COUGHING]
Oh, she needs a fizzy
drink to settle her stomach.
- Pearl.
- Okay.
[COUGHING]
Hey, Rose.
You're going to be great.
Thank you.
So?
Okay! Okay, I'm going. I'm going.
Bit nervous?
The food looks great.
And big. Big and bold.
Hmm.
Me too.
[WHISPERING] Can you keep a secret?
[SCOFFS] Oh, Tom.
Pearl's gonna love it.
She will say yes, won't she?
Big and bold, right?
[RETCHING, COUGHING]
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
- [SIGHS]
- So come on, then.
Spill the beans. Where are you going?
Surprise.
Oh, word of warning she
always forgets her passport.
It's not that good a surprise.
Lake District.
Lovely lakeside cottage.
No phone reception, no Wi-Fi,
just the two of us.
So don't call.
That's what you're saying.
Not unless Ruby gets us a Michelin star.
Well, you never know. She might.
She's put her heart and
soul into this menu.
Dolly, do you mind
if I ask you a question?
Well, if you get down on one
knee, I might just say yes.
What? Oh.
[LAUGHS] Yeah. No.
Um, well, you're actually not
that far wide of the mark.
Oh.
What is it you want me to say, Tom?
- For your blessing.
- Oh.
Well, if I gave you that,
she'd definitely say no.
Yeah. [LAUGHS] You're right.
It's not 1853, is it?
She's a modern, independent woman.
That's why that's why I love her.
It's just
Tom, you should be telling
this to Pearl, not me.
What do you think she'll say?
Well, there's only one way to find out.
Yeah.
There once was a place
with mudlands lonely ♪
Way, hey, ho
And I'll sink and I'll search ♪
And I know that I'll find it ♪
Way, hey, ho
I know with the wind she blows ♪
I know the tides are low
But you'll find me at the white post ♪
You'll find me at the white post ♪
[LIVELY CHATTER, DOOR OPENS]
- Good evening.
- Good evening.
Signature bouillabaisse, please.
Lovely.
Our signature bouillabaisse.
Hi, Theo.
Hi, Dolly.
If you need anything
at all, I'm right here.
Thank you.
Hmm.
- There you are.
- Thank you.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[TENSE MUSIC BUILDING]
[GASPS]
[MOANS]
[THUDDING, CLATTERING]
- [ALL GASPING]
- Oh, my God.
Oh! [MURMURING]
He's not breathing.
Just call an ambulance!
Call an ambulance!
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
What if this was my fault?
I did everything in a hurry.
What if the oysters were off?
We'd be finished.
I'm gonna call Pearl.
Tom's gonna propose. Did he tell you?
And she's gonna break his heart.
So there's no need to break hers, too.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Uh, the lucky lobster,
um, then sushi and schnitzel.
Sushi and schnitzel?
It's fusion, popular with the DFLs.
Not this DFL.
The Crab Shack,
Sailing Hook,
the Codfather,
and the Whitstable Pearl.
Had your husband reviewed
these restaurants before?
Most of them over the years.
He didn't pull any punches.
[LAUGHS] He had a very colorful style.
Do you think that might
have made him a target?
What what do you mean?
The toxicology report said Paddy died
from brevetoxin poisoning.
From bad shellfish?
Paddy died suddenly.
For that kind of reaction,
he'd had to have eaten his own
bodyweight in dodgy shellfish.
I'm sorry, Theo.
That level of brevetoxin means
that this wasn't an accident.
Your husband was murdered.
[SIREN WAILS]
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
This is bad.
[CLATTERING]
A million views.
Two million. It's gone viral.
[SIGHS]
This wasn't our fault.
Remember what Mike said.
- Paddy was murdered.
- But that's not the narrative.
What is the narrative?
Celebrity critic poisoned
at the Whitstable Pearl.
The end of our restaurant.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
Ah.
Dolly, you really shouldn't be here.
I know. I know.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
How long can you afford to stay closed?
I'm more worried
about when we open again.
I mean, will anybody ever come back?
Pearl still doesn't know.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
Let's keep it that way.
Our suspects are every chef and
restaurant owner in Whitstable.
It's a conflict of interest.
Why? Because they're our friends?
Technically, any one of you
could be trying to put
a rival out of business.
Officially, you're a suspect, too.
What about unofficially?
Cases like this, it's
usually the partner.
Theo? No, no. I saw him.
He was distraught.
The inheritance will cheer him up.
But trust me, he's hiding something.
Go.
I got to go, all right?
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[BIRDS CALLING]
Pearl?
Up here!
Has this place really
got no phone reception?
Nope.
Or Wi-Fi?
Just us. Perfect, right?
Oh, hang on. I have got a bar.
[SIGHS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
Tom.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
- I think I should go back.
- No way.
I'm putting my foot down.
All right. I'm asking nicely.
It's just really important.
Sorry, sorry. This is important, too.
Mike's on the case.
Leave this one to the professionals.
You know what I mean.
I mean, you know,
by the time we get back,
everything will be sorted.
We've got a picnic and the
best bottle of fake champagne
I could find.
[CHUCKLES]
Look, it's nice here.
Let's just hang out for a bit.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's lovely.
[DUCKS QUACKING]
I shut my eyes, and
all the world drops dead.
I lift my lids, and all is born again.
I think I made you up inside my head.
- What are you doing?
- It's a poem.
Oh, okay.
I shut my eyes, and
all the world drops dead.
I lift my lids, and all is born again.
Did you write it?
Oh.
It's not bad for a maths teacher.
I shut my eyes, and
all the world drops dead.
I lift my lids, and all is born again.
I think I made you up inside my head.
Did you really write it?
It's by Sylvia Plath.
Oh.
She's the one that killed herself?
Yeah. Can I
Sorry.
The stars go waltzing
out in blue and red.
- [PHONE VIBRATING]
- Oh, reception at last.
Sorry, it's Mike calling
me back about the case.
I can listen to it later.
But you want to listen to it now.
Sorry.
I'm just a bit all over the place.
It's hard, you know.
My restaurant's a crime scene.
Your two careers have finally merged.
- Well, don't joke about it.
- Sorry.
Can we do this again another time?
Yeah, see, that's the
thing about an anniversary.
You can't really do it another time.
If I just really quickly
go over to the house
where there's better
reception to get an update
Okay.
I'll be really quick, I promise.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
The stars go waltzing
out in blue and red.
I think I made you up inside my head.
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
Well, the police have
asked me to stay put in case,
in case I can help with their inquiries.
You know, we had a prenup.
Virtually everything's going
to Battersea Dogs Home.
Well, Paddy was an animal lover.
Lamb.
Snails.
Lobsters. [BOTH CHUCKLING]
- It was one of his jokes.
- I remember
He had a wicked sense of humor.
They think I did it, the police.
They think you're hiding something.
Isn't it time you came clean?
How did you know?
[SCOFFS] My daughter
is a private detective.
I taught her everything she knows.
Oh, look, it's an industry secret.
Ever since Paddy had
the motorbike accident
He lost his sense of taste.
And you write all the reviews.
No one else needs to know.
You can protect his memory.
But I really think you
need to tell the police.
You know, I tried to mimic him
the sarcasm
grand putdowns.
Sometimes I worried that I went
too far with the criticism.
It made him famous.
That's what he loved
limelight.
It was my gift to him.
But I keep asking myself
the same question.
What if he was killed
because of one of my reviews?
What if all this is my fault?
Dolly, the food at the restaurant
the afternoon that Paddy, you know
was exquisite, the best it's ever been.
The menu was completely transformed.
My review would have been glowing.
Thank you, Theo.
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
The Lucky Lobster.
The lobsters are luckier
than the customers.
I'd rather be boiled alive
and bludgeoned with a mallet
than eat there again.
The Crab Shack.
Cold, bland, insipid.
And that was just the staff.
The Codfather.
Overloaded plates of
deep-fried monstrosities.
Greasy, heavy, toxic levels of spice.
That's your kind of place, isn't it?
Bleak, try-hard, confused,
simply unpalatable.
Seems weird, you being mean.
I'm always the nice guy.
Well, I don't like it.
I'm trying to stay in character here.
The first course was
a bone-shuddering trauma.
The next two were relentless torture.
With each dish, they turned
the screws until you find
yourself begging for death.
Ouch!
Potential lead?
What restaurant is that?
Roxy's, a London restaurant.
Closed 10 years ago, right after
Paddy's review.
Right.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Roxy.
Come on.
Yeah, hey.
Mate, come on. [BOTH CHUCKLING]
Pause it.
Zoom in on him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[PHONE VIBRATING]
You're still up?
Drowning my sorrows.
How about you?
Well, I was just working on the case.
Why don't you just come home?
I can't.
I think Tom's gonna propose.
You've been there two nights.
What's he waiting for?
Hang on, did you know?
A romantic getaway on your anniversary.
What did you expect?
[SIGHS] Well, I'm in
a log cabin by a lake.
I thought he might have
been luring me to my death.
What would you prefer?
[SNORTS] Well, that
pause isn't a good sign.
Look, I haven't rung you for
your dubious romantic advice.
Are you sober enough to take this in?
Because I think I've got a lead.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Mike, it's Dolly.
Call me back.
[KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
- What are you doing here?
- Whoa, whoa. Hey, easy.
Police.
Put it down.
All right.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Come here!
[CRASHING]
Evan!
Evan, stop!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDING]
Get out the way.
- Evan, listen to me.
Let's talk.
[GRUNTS]
[PANTING]
Oh!
You okay?
Bone-shuddering trauma,
relentless torture.
With each dish, they turn
the screws until you find
yourself begging for death.
You must have hated him.
He killed your
restaurant in Notting Hill.
How much did you lose?
Must have been a fortune.
Nearly everything.
We went to the bank, scraped
together what we had left,
and set up down here.
A second chance.
It was just a job.
But not what you dreamed of.
He didn't even recognize
us, too busy stuffing his face
and posing for selfies.
Because that's what
people like him do
Ten minutes ranting into a camera,
a couple hundred throwaway words.
They ruin people's lives and they don't
even give it a second thought.
Here's the thing.
Paddy's got no taste.
You must have read his reviews then.
No, no, no. He can't taste.
Not anymore.
His husband does the tasting.
He's the brain behind the reviews.
Paddy's just the face of the operation.
You killed the wrong person
I didn't kill anyone.
Then why'd you run?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC BUILDING]
I want a phone call and a solicitor.
Until then, I ain't saying another word.
[PENSIVE MUSIC, BIRDS CALLING]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[CRYING]
[TENSE MUSIC BUILDING]
Did Evan confess?
Said it wasn't him.
Then why all the theatrics?
You all right?
Ruby's a mess.
And Pearl, I mean, she's all-in
on the detective work,
but she loves this place.
[SNIFFLES] If it closes
It'd break her heart, yeah.
And you?
Oh, it would break my heart, too.
It's not just us I'm worried about.
Most of the restaurants around
here, they're independent.
They only survive week to week.
What happens if they close?
Whitstable just becomes
like everywhere else
chain restaurants,
fast-food franchises
[SCOFFS] Generic grease pits.
Right up your street.
No, I meant what
happens if they go under?
You sure that they can
sell up, start again?
[SIGHS] No.
All the restaurants
are in leased premises.
They're passion projects.
They owe the banks.
They owe their families.
They [SIGHS]
If they close, they'll lose everything.
So the clock's ticking.
We're all desperate.
Enough to make someone
want to do something stupid.
[DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hey, Roxy.
I woke up. The alarm was going off.
I could smell smoke,
so I legged it outside.
You must have been terrified.
Evan had been arrested.
I was all over the place.
I don't know.
Maybe I left something on by mistake.
A fire in a restaurant
that's in trouble?
You know the first thing that
people are going to think.
The police will have to investigate.
And then the insurance company.
Imagine creating something from nothing.
You find the right place.
You make it look perfect.
You design the menus,
the vibe, the style.
You create new dishes, signature dishes.
You break the mold a little bit.
You're adventurous.
It's like your dreams are coming true.
You start to fall in love.
You hire staff. You train them.
Everyone's on the same page.
They believe in what
you're trying to do.
They make the same sacrifices you do.
You become a team.
You work hard, put your heart into it.
It becomes your whole world.
And then you lose it all.
So you pick yourself up, and
you do it all over again.
And just when you think maybe
it's going to work out this time
I couldn't face losing everything.
Not again.
And I was at the end of my rope.
We both were.
[SIGHS] So we thought
maybe we could give ourselves
one last shot.
Roxy, what are you telling me?
You?
Nothing.
My restaurant is my life, too.
But your daughter's a detective.
Is that why you're here talking to me?
Are you a friend,
or are you fishing
for information to help Pearl?
I always thought of you as a friend.
And I reckon most people
around here would say the same.
But one day, they're going to wonder
- Roxy.
- Whose side are you on?
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[SIGHS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
Mike.
Mike.
Oh, the café is still open, then?
Well, critics don't
mess with greasy spoons.
We, uh we found some
footage of the fire.
Fellow who runs a corner
shop is a conspiracy freak.
He's got hidden cameras everywhere.
And?
You're worse than your daughter.
Come on, free chips for life?
It looks like Roxy started it.
So we can open again.
That's why everyone was spooked.
They were about to light the
match when we called around.
- And you ran.
- And Roxy took her chance.
So they're guilty of an
insurance job, not murder.
They could have started
the fire to destroy evidence.
- How long have you known them?
- Ever since they moved here.
Ruby used to work for them
before she started with us.
Ruby mixed with them?
Does she know about Paddy's review?
The London review?
Yeah, with each dish,
they turn the screws
Until you find
yourself begging for death.
Oh, I don't know. But maybe
that's why she was so nervous.
She was nervous? When?
When Paddy came to do the review.
She was puking all day.
What are you getting at?
No.
No way!
See you in a bit.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
[HORN HONKING]
Pearl, would you do me
the honor of being my wife?
It's too formal.
Pearl, will you marry me?
Needy.
More spontaneous. Make her laugh.
Smile, knee, ring, "Pearl, let's do it."
Yeah.
[PANTING]
What's happening?
I have to go back.
Well, I'm not going.
Well, I-I want you to come.
And I want you to stay.
Look, Mike's not getting anywhere.
Dolly's all over the place,
and Ruby's in a state.
They need me.
Every day the restaurant's
shut, we're losing money.
I spoke to Dolly, and
there was a fire at Roxy's.
It was an insurance job.
Don't get any ideas.
Here you go again, making a joke.
- Sorry.
- It's serious.
I was trying to make you feel better.
By making fun of me?
This is us. This is what we do.
We joke when things get difficult.
Who said things were difficult?
- Um
- Don't joke.
Okay.
- Be honest.
- [SCOFFS]
Why are you laughing?
You want me to be honest?
Okay, honesty.
Here goes
I make plans.
It could be something
important a birthday,
a holiday, an anniversary.
Or it could just be a date
at the end of a long week.
And the same thing always happens.
You forget, or you make an excuse,
or you don't take it seriously.
I make jokes because you
don't take us seriously.
It hurts to be the only one who cares.
I care. Tom, I do.
Something always gets in the way
work, the restaurant,
the detective agency, Mike.
- Mike?
- Yes, Mike.
Our relationship's uneven. And I'm
- I'm sick of it.
- [SIGHS]
I'm sick of playing second fiddle.
You're right.
You know what I have planned, don't you?
[LAUGHS] You're a detective.
You know, and you're running away.
- Say what you said again.
- Okay, look, let's just
About our relationship being uneven.
You're sick of
Playing second fiddle.
You're thinking about work, aren't you?
I have to go upstairs. I need to call
- Mike?
- One call.
- Oh, come on!
- I'll be straight back.
Don't go upstairs.
I mean it. I'm serious.
Well, there you go. That's progress.
You did not just make a joke.
I'll be right back. Just stay there.
I'll be straight back, I promise.
[SIGHS]
[LINE TRILLING]
Come on, Mike, pick up.
[PHONE VIBRATING]
- Pearl.
- Mum.
Please tell me you didn't say yes.
I need you to ring Mike for me.
No way! You can tell him yourself.
Listen, I think I might have cracked it.
Something Mike always used
to say is cases like this,
it's usually the partner.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
Tom?
[SIGHS]
Have you packed your bags?
I, uh I heard about the fire.
- They're in custody.
- Roxy and Evan?
Was it them? Did they
They're being questioned.
My review. That was the motive.
- It was too harsh.
- You were honest.
But that's the job.
You make the restaurants
that deserve it,
and you break the ones that don't.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Paddy would want you to continue.
[EXHALES SHARPLY] In his honor?
You must have thought about it.
Well, I have had some
discussions with the paper
and some of the magazines.
[LIVELY CHATTER]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- You'll be famous.
- Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Household name.
It's what you've always wanted.
What do you mean?
No more playing second fiddle.
You see that?
What, bottle of hot sauce?
Well, what if that's the brevetoxin?
That's Paddy's personal bottle.
He took it to every restaurant.
And he used it every time.
Because that's the
only thing he can taste.
[CLATTERING, THUD]
Pause it. Pause it. Go back.
There.
[CROWD EXCLAIMING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
Got ya.
Well done.
You killed him, didn't you?
Paddy hogged the limelight
while you did all the work,
and you couldn't bear it.
And he was famous.
People fawned over him, and
no one even knew who you were.
You're crazy.
I get it. He took you for granted.
It must have been agonizing
all those years not being seen.
Well, everyone's gonna see me now.
[TENSE MUSIC BUILDING]
[SOFT MUSIC]
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Mum.
How's Ruby doing?
Cooking up a storm.
Theo said her menu was exquisite.
Oh, well, that's his last review.
He said it was the best
food that we'd ever had here.
Well, I'm not sure
how I feel about that.
Oh, don't worry.
I'll find her immediately.
[CHUCKLES]
Well, he's gonna have to
get used to prison food now.
Serves him right.
Are you okay?
Call him.
Mike?
Tom!
Hey.
I thought I'd get started.
This looks brilliant.
Are you sure you want to work tonight?
Yeah.
What's the suitcase for?
I, uh
I had a bit of a wobble.
This place is the most
important thing in my life.
I'm so scared of losing it.
It feels like my home now.
You know, my parents are terrible cooks.
- Really?
- Can't even boil an egg.
[CHUCKLES]
When I was a kid, they
were flaky and selfish.
They weren't around much.
Getting pretty good at this.
You are.
I'm really proud of you, Ruby.
It's only cooking, but
I think it's important.
Way to show love.
Running a restaurant
is contradictory, though.
You show love to people you don't know.
And the people you do love
You don't have time for them.
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
[SOFT MUSIC]
Nights out, holidays, all
the stuff my mates are doing,
all of it can wait.
Is that how you feel
about detective work?
I love it.
But to do it well, that
means making sacrifices.
Including the people you love?
Yeah.
[SEAGULLS CALLING]
Big and bold.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]
[BRIGHT MUSIC]