Stonehearst Asylum (2014) - full transcript

...is not the only
such affliction.

And so we come to that condition

which most often afflicts
the more nervous sex.

Hysteria.

Derived from the Greek
for "uterus".

Much studied by the French,

it has of late come under the
scrutiny of our Austrian colleagues.

Tonight, we'll endeavor to add a
British accent to this chorus.

Bring in the patient, please.

As you can see,

the patient is a comely woman
of five and thirty years



who has been under my care
at Bethlehem Hospital.

Of impeccable breeding, she
has suffered much of her life

from the classic symptoms
of the chronic hysteric.

Who can tell me what these are?

Lassitude?

Correct.
Another.

The tingling of the extremities.

Yes. Another. Convulsions.

Sometimes called
"hysteric fits",

during which the patient
may become violent,

dangerously unmanageable.

Which is why,
as a precautionary measure,

I've had her injected with
four grains of heroin.

One cannot be too careful when attempting
to trigger a fit in a clinical setting.



As I shall now endeavor to do.

Please.

I beseech you, sir, do not.

Shh, shh, shh.

The trigger point...
Help me.

Help me.

One of you, please.

Look at me.

I am not mad.

I am not mad.
Look at me.

The trigger point may be hidden
anywhere in the female anatomy.

Most often upon the breasts.

Do not touch me.
The inner thighs.

Or the ovaries.

Note the clenched fists,
the arched back,

the tonic and clonic spasms.

Concluding finally

in a profound contracture.

Watch yourself.

She's started
her monthly bleeding.

Next patient, please.
Bring in the patient.

Any questions?
What of the woman's insistence that she is not mad?

Just as every criminal
maintains he's innocent,

so does every mad woman
insist she is sane.

But she seemed so...
Reasonable?

Perhaps.
Well bred?

Beautiful?

She is all these things.

And quite mad.

And therein lies
the paradox of insanity

and the great peril
of our profession.

Thus, I caution
you all, gentlemen,

as you embark on your
careers as alienists,

believe nothing that you hear

and only one half
of what you see.

Bloody hell.

Hey!
Wait!

Hello there.
Excuse me.

I beg you, stop.

At first, Da didn't want to stop

on account you may be
a lunatic who escaped,

but I convinced him
you couldn't be

since you're headed toward the
madhouse and not away from it.

Clever deduction.

And you look like a man who's
only lost his way, not his mind.

Well, I'm grateful.
Thank you.

Are you visiting
someone at Stonehearst?

Actually, going there to complete
my training as an alienist.

That's a doctor who specializes
in asylum medicine.

Well, I can tell
you'll be a good one.

You have kind eyes.

Aw, thank you.

The madhouse
is just up that hill.

You're certain? Yes. Look!

I don't see anything.

Merry Christmas.

Hello?

Hello!

And who the feck might you be?

Ah, good God.

Good afternoon, sir.
I'm... I'm Edward Newgate.

Dr. Edward Newgate,
from Oxford.

Might... Might you let me in?

Well, now, that depends.
Were we expecting you?

Well, I hope so. I did send a
letter to the superintendent here.

Must have been weeks ago now.

Well, the post isn't regular
this time of the year.

Really? I...

I'm just acting the maggot. Of
course you can come in, Ted.

What kind of Christian would I be to leave
another outside to freeze his onions off?

And on Christmas Eve no less.

Well, thank you so much.
I do appreciate it.

My name's Finn.

I'm the chief steward.

Welcome to our little
madhouse in the wilderness.

Presently we have 200
residents at Stonehearst.

Sons and daughters of some of the
finest families in the realm.

We have lords, dukes. We even
have a cousin of the Queen.

Now, she likes to finger
paint with her own shite.

There you go, Rosie.

We have a viscount who's
convinced he has two heads,

and an earl who
thinks he's a teapot.

Seriously.

Wait... Wait here.

The doctor
will be along shortly.

Right, yes.

Trephination.

An arcane medical procedure
performed by savages

upon those possessed
of evil spirits.

By boring a hole in the skull,

they believed it would allow
the demons to escape.

Let us be thankful we live
in more enlightened times,

don't you agree, doctor...?

Newgate. Edward
Newgate, from Oxford.

Forgive me for turning
up unannounced.

I did write a letter. It's just your Mr.
Finn tells me it never arrived.

An Oxford man
is always welcome here.

So,

what brings you to Stonehearst?

Well, as I wrote in my letter,

I had hoped I would observe
your methods in or...

No, thank you.
Nonsense.

You've had an arduous voyage.

From the backwaters
of blissful ignorance

across vast oceans
of academic blather

until at last
you've arrived here,

on the shores
of my little kingdom.

And at the dawn of a
new century, no less.

So,

it's asylum medicine
you wish to practice.

Yes, since as long
as I can remember.

Why?
I'm sorry?

Why not some specialty that's held in
higher regard? Surgery, for instance.

I don't much care
for blood, I suppose.

Tropical medicine then. Or
problems of the female anatomy.

Both offer better pay.

Well, I've always been
fascinated by the troubled mind.

So is a priest But he at
least is guaranteed heaven.

What do you hope to gain?

The satisfaction of
helping those in hell.

See, of all the afflictions,
I can think of none more,

more cruel than madness, sir.

See, it robs a man
of his reason,

his dignity, his very soul.

And it does so,

so slowly, without the
remorse of death.

Please, sir.

I have the desire
and the training.

All I lack is the
clinical experience.

Time for afternoon rounds.

Of course. I didn't
wish to keep you...

Join me, Doctor.
Thank you.

Mr. Finn, help the doctor off
with his coat, would you?

Thank you.

You'll find us well-stocked
with the usual cases.

Neurasthenia, dementia praecox,

incurable homosexuality,
epilepsy, melancholia.

But where we differ
from other asylums

is in the social station
of our patients.

All hail from the finest
families in Europe.

For instance, Terrance here

is heir to one of the largest
railroad fortunes in the continent.

And what is the nature
of his disorder?

He suffers from an utter
lack of interest in trains.

So his family had him committed?

Interesting case this one.

Signore Balzoni was thrown from his
horse during a polo match in Milan

and ever since he's believed
himself to be an Arabian stallion.

He gets a tad agitated
at feeding times.

Please go ahead.

You'll find most
of our patients are here

because they are embarrassments
to their families.

Outcasts.

Signore, give the
gentleman his arm back

or I shall be forced to
withhold grooming for a week.

You... You groom him?

Small price to pay
to keep him contented.

Isn't that reinforcing
his delusion? Yes.

What, you don't attempt
to cure your patients?

Cure them?
To what purpose?

Well, to bring them back
to their senses, of course.

And make a miserable man out
of a perfectly happy horse.

Madame.
Your Eminence.

Is it always this lively?

Here we do not believe
in sedating our patients

into a stupor with
bromides and the like.

We prefer to celebrate them in
their natural unadulterated state.

Check.

Good afternoon, my lovely.

Nurse.
Nurse?

Has she eaten today?

She refuses to eat until her
son returns from the war.

He was killed in action
in Peshawar, '85.

Have you tried a feeding tube?

We do not use such
medieval methods here.

I'd hardly call it "medieval".

What would you call it then?

Well, a necessary means
of preventing death.

Death cannot be
prevented, Doctor,

any more than madness cured.

There's no cure
for the human condition.

And it's a foolish
physician who tries.

Suppose I were to present you
with the following case.

A woman who suffers
from violent fits

triggered by physical
or emotional contact

that she perceives to be
of too intimate a nature.

Sounds like hysteria.

What treatment
would you prescribe?

Mustard packs, I should think.

Is she a patient
or a pickled herring?

Pelvic massage?
Potassium bromide?

I'm interested in your opinion,
Doctor, not some textbook's.

Forget bromides.
Open your eyes.

Look at her.

So, I ask you again,

presented with a woman of
utmost grace and refinement

within whose breast
roils passion so great

she fears they will destroy her,

what treatment
would you prescribe?

Music.

Three times a day, no less.

Bravo, Doctor.
I concur.

There are few therapies better at
restoring the soul than music.

Her name is Lady Charles Graves.
Eliza. Mrs. Graves to us.

I presume you know her husband?

No.
Repugnant chap.

Possesses a tremendous fortune.

Not to mention many
unnatural appetites.

As one would expect, her
hysterical episodes worsened

following the engagement, until
one night she bit off his ear

and gouged out
his eye with a comb.

So her husband
had her committed.

No, her father.

If it had been up
to the Baronet,

she'd still be at home
in his loving embrace.

In fact, not a week goes by that I
don't receive a letter from him

threatening me and demanding
I declare her cured

so she might be remanded
into his custody.

So, you refuse?

For her own safety.

Come, Doctor.
Yes, of course.

We have much to see
before dinner.

May I just say that your
playing is sublime.

Your playing is sublime.

It's quite sublime.

I'm Newgate.

Dr. Edward Newgate. My name
is Edward Newgate. Doc...

Nurse.

May I have a glass of water?

Yes, ma'am.

Your playing is sublime.

What was that,
Mozart, Beethoven?

No, I wrote it.

Of course.

Let me introduce myself. My name is...
Dr. Newgate.

I know. We don't receive
many visitors here.

We're rather
like a leper colony.

Well, I doubt lepers
are so charming.

I wish you would stop
complimenting me.

It makes me uncomfortable.
Forgive me, Mrs. Graves.

The last thing I wish
to do is offend you.

Are you quite certain
you're a doctor?

Yeah, well, of course I am.

Because I've never known
one to apologize.

Or, for that matter, give
a damn who he offended.

Well, I'm not like
other doctors.

I mean, to be honest, I still
haven't gotten used to being one.

Whenever someone calls "doctor",

I still turn to see if they're
talking to the chap behind me.

Here you go, ma'am.
Thank you, nurse.

Right.

Remarkable, isn't she?

She should be on a stage,

not languishing in some asylum.

Forgive me,
I'm Dr. Newgate.

Edward Newgate.
And you are?

Let Jael rejoice
with the Plover.

Pardon me? And Hobab
rejoice with Heraclitus.

That is Greek for the grub.

Newgate.
Tuxedo fits, I see.

Yes, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.

I'm sorry, but what's
he doing here?

Jeremiah. He killed
his wife with a hammer.

Not without
provocation, mind you.

But what's he doing here
in the staff parlor?

When I was a medical
officer in the war,

we would on occasion invite the
enlisted men to dine with us.

It strengthened the bond between
the men and... kept morale high.

And I believe the same
principal applies here.

It's therapeutic for the patients
to mix with polite society,

and, I might add, for polite
society to mix with them.

Dinner is served.

Good boy.

Good boy.

Good boy.
Good boy.

Tell me, boy, what do you
think of our little asylum?

Why, it's quite... unlike
anything I've ever known.

Newgate recently took his
medical degree at Oxford.

But why come all the way here

when there are other asylums
far closer to London?

Well, I've always longed to return
to the countryside, I suppose.

You know, I grew up
in a farm in Yorkshire,

and, some of my fondest memories

are of the cows and chickens
that were my playmates.

You don't have the
Yorkshire man's accent.

Why's that, Ted?

Well, my, my, my parents
died when I was six

so I was sent to an
orphanage in London.

Appalling place.

But, I mean, you know, fascinating if one
was curious about human nature as I was.

In a funny way, I was
quite grateful to them.

How so?

Well, misery has a way of
clarifying one's convictions.

See, it was in the orphanage that I
realized what my life's work would be.

To labor amongst the
wretched and the friendless.

And to give these poor
souls some small measure

of hope and kindness

in a world
that knows too little.

Forgive me, I seem to have turned
dinner into a Dickens' novel.

Bon appetite.

What is this tonight, Finn?
Squirrel?

At present we find ourselves
somewhat modestly provisioned.

A toast to Mr. Finn

for providing such fine victuals
for our Christmas repast.

Mickey Finn.

Mickey Finn.

I'm... I'm sorry.
Is that really your name?

'Tis. Why?

Well, you know, to slip
someone a Mickey Finn,

you know,
with knock-out drops.

It's quite, quite...

Well, quite.

That never occurred to me.
"Slip someone a Mickey."

That must be how me
da got me dear old ma

to lie still while he

You'll forgive me if I don't
find that at all amusing.

No?

What would bring a smile to that
puckered-ass of a mouth of yours?

That will be enough, Finn.

My apologies.
I meant no offense.

Yeah, well, none taken.

That's the Christmas spirit.
Come now.

Let me offer you a little
drink of friendship.

No, no, no.
I've had quite enough.

Come on, we're celebrating.

Honestly, Finn.

I'm sure he doesn't mind raising
a glass to our Lord and Savior.

Do you now, Doctor?

I'd be delighted.

Dear. I'm afraid
that will stain.

Soda water will save it.

Follow me.

You must leave here immediately.

But I've only just arrived.

You do not belong here.

Why, I was going to say
the same thing about you.

There's time before
they get suspicious.

They'll assume you went to your room
to change your shirt, but don't.

Leave your things.
Go straight to the stable.

The roan is the most
sure-footed on the moor.

She'll see you
safely back to town.

You want me to steal a horse?

Lower your voice.

No, not until you tell me
what's going on.

Do as I say.

Leave.
Now.

Eliza.
Eliza, please...

Mrs. Graves,
I'm... I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to upset you.

Mrs. Graves, indeed,
then listen to me.

There's... There's something
I need to tell you.

Help us.
Please.

Get off me.

Help us!
Help us!

Help us.
We need food.

Please.
Please, help us.

Who are you, boy?

I'm a doctor.

Liar. I've never
set eyes on you.

Where are you from?

Upstairs.
Before that, you fool.

I'm from Oxford.

You listen to me,

and listen carefully, boy.

You have got to help us
escape from these cages.

We're not mad.
We're not mad.

We're not mad.
We're not mad. Please.

Please help us.

Of course you're not.

You've got to help us.
I will, I will.

First thing in the morning,
I'll consult with Dr. Lamb.

Dr. Lamb?
Are you daft?

If he learns that you found us,
he'll slit your throat and ours.

You must get the keys.
Let us out.

Please, we're not mad.
All right.

You've got to help us.

I'll see to it in the morning.

Let us out.

Newgate.

Edward Newgate.

How do you know my name?

Your letter.

You remember, Benjamin?
It was weeks ago.

The young man who wrote
to us from Oxford.

I remember.
Newgate.

Your letter came
with the last mail delivery

before Lamb overthrew us.

Overthrew you?
Yes.

Overthrew?

What is going on?

I am Marion Pike.
Matron.

Charles Swanwick.
Chief medical officer.

Nurse.
William Paxton, groundskeeper.

Dr. Benjamin Salt,

rightful Superintendent
of Stonehearst asylum.

Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.

If you really are
the superintendent,

then that means
that Dr. Lamb is...

A lunatic demon
of the worst kind.

Oh, good God.

God.

What happened?

They put something
in our drink, Doc.

Chloral hydrate.
It's... It's a surgical anesthetic.

It's colorless and odorless,

but lethal in imprecise doses.

I lost four doctors that night.

Three of my nurses died.
Poor creatures.

They'd been planning this for months.
Treacherous bastards.

Just biding their time
to slip us...

A Mickey Finn.

I don't believe...

They give us water,
a pittance of food.

But make no mistake,
Doctor, we are dying.

We are dying.

You could steal
the keys from Finn.

Set us free.

They'd tear us apart before
we'd gone a hundred yards.

We'll take our chances fighting.

In our condition,
against their numbers?

There are homicidal maniacs
upstairs with guns, Charles.

Look around you. None
of us are fit to fight.

Some of us are
too far gone already.

There's only one solution.

It's you, Doctor. You're
our only chance. Please.

Run, boy.
The keys.

Run, boy.
Get to town.

Bring help.
Run.

The keys.

Run.
Run, boy.

Who is it, Eliza?
I'm frightened.

It's no one, dearest.

Just the Sandman.

Mrs. Graves.

Is he going to try
and make love to us?

Back to sleep.

Mrs. Graves, we must
leave here immediately.

You had your chance
to leave before.

I have found Salt and the others, Mrs.
Graves.

Do you realize what would've
happened if you'd been caught?

I have some idea.
You have no idea.

We can argue about this later.

Right now I need you
to fetch your warmest coat

and meet me in the gazebo
in ten minutes.

We can steal a horse,
and if we're lucky

we can make it
to town and summon help.

Why would you presume I
would go anywhere with you?

Because I cannot...

I will not leave without you.

I must go back to bed.
Listen to me.

The lunatics are
running this asylum.

Yes, and I am one of them.

What's this I see?

Evening rounds
are finished, Doctor.

I was just giving Dr. Newgate
directions back to his room.

Lost, is he?

Yes, embarrassingly so.

I was looking
for the staff library.

I must have made a wrong turn.

Well, any event, I know
where I'm headed now,

so I'll bid you all good night.

Thank you, Mrs. Graves.

Finn, see the young
doctor to his room.

My pleasure.

No, no.
Won't be necessary.

I insist. And I shall
expect you for morning rounds.

Half past eight.

Right.
Of course.

This way, Ted.

Does he suspect anything?

No.

We must endeavor to make
sure it stays that way.

Something is troubling
you, my dear.

This cannot last, Sylas.

Eventually
we will be discovered.

The spring is coming.
People will come.

Visitors.

We cannot just lock them out.

The only reason
any of us are here

is because the world
wanted to be rid of us.

We're embarrassments
to our family,

exiles to the human race.

We will not be discovered for the
simple reason that no one cares.

My husband does.

I promise you

you will always be safe
within these walls.

I'm afraid this
is all I could find.

Supplies upstairs
are running low.

I'll bring more next time.

And some laudanum
for that cough of yours.

Bless you, Doctor.

It's men with guns we
need, not medicine.

That's not an option
anymore, Doctor.

After last night, Finn and his
goons are watching me like hawks.

I barely made it
here undetected.

Come back here.
Please mate, come on.

I could be wrong, but
Lamb strikes me as a man

who would rather see the ship
sink with everyone in it

than give up the helm.

Sweet Jesus.

So, even if we did steal
away and find help,

God knows what would await
us when we returned.

We?

Well, me... me
and Mrs. Graves.

Eliza Graves?

Don't be a fool, man.
She's as mad as the lot of them.

No, no, I...
I don't believe she is.

Tell that to her husband.

But make sure you speak into his good
ear, the one she didn't bite off.

The man is a monster. She was
right to defend herself.

Mrs. Pike, may I remind you on
which side of the bars you sit?

So, you cannot flee,

you cannot steal Finn's keys.

What do you propose to do?

Look, I came here
to study his methods.

Now, Lamb sees me
as his prot?g?.

If I could just
maintain that... that trust,

you know, understand the
workings of his mind,

maybe I could
bring him to reason.

He killed five soldiers
in cold blood.

And do you think
you can outfox him, boy?

If you could just
give me his case file.

Long gone.

It's the first thing
he'd have destroyed.

Well then... well then, I'd
best be back before I'm missed.

In the medicine cabinet.

Behind the Scotch.

In his...
In my office.

He escaped once before
and he stole it, briefly.

I didn't want to give him
that pleasure again,

so I hid his casebook.

Right.

Doctor?

I want to warn you.

I do not know what
Lamb's plan is for us,

but I do know that if he believes
you could jeopardize it,

he will not hesitate
to slit your throat.

Deplorable conditions these, but
soon I mean to make a change.

And what better way
to bring in the new century

than by doing away
with this godforsaken ward

and all the backward
thinking it represents.

Right, Finn?
Right, then.

So, what do you hope to do
with the current residents?

Introduce them
to the general population.

You're not serious.

Keep a man in a cage and
he'll behave like an animal.

Give him his freedom and
he'll remember his humanity.

And that's your plan, is it, to
create an enlightened society?

Do I sense skepticism
in your question, Doctor?

No, not at all. I suppose
I'm just curious to know

if you think there are any individuals
whose crimes are so heinous

they justify imprisonment.

Sadists... who find
gratification

in the debasement of others.

And those cowards who would send
younger men to their deaths

in battles they
themselves would avoid.

Except for these, I believe
all men can be rehabilitated

often by the simple act of
having their dignity restored.

Who... who's down there?

The Ogre of Oxbridge.

The Ogre of what?
Stage name.

His family sold him off to a
side show when he was a child.

He injured his hand a few days
ago whilst attacking a nurse.

Would you be so kind as to
change the dressing, Doctor?

You expect me to go down there?

You came here for clinical
experience, did you not?

Yes, of course.

Well, two grains of opium, I
should think, will do the trick.

Don't need that.

What do you expect me to
do, sing him a lullaby?

Use these.

The asylum doctor's
greatest ally.

Look out for the piss bucket.

Hello?

Now listen here.

I don't mean to harm you, Mr.
Ogre.

I just want to see your hand.

Oh, good God.

It's all right.

It's all right.
It's all right.

Lamb, please help.

Eyes, Newgate.
Eyes.

Arthur.

Arthur.
Arthur, please.

Please, Arthur.

Arthur.
Arthur.

Forgive me, Arthur.

May I call you Arthur?

Can I?

I didn't mean to enter
without permission.

I meant no offense.

I'm Dr. Newgate.

But you can call me Edward.

It's all right.

Eddard?

That's right, Edward.

Eddard.

Now, Arthur,

let's, let's have a look
at that hand, shall we?

It's okay.
All right.

That's it, Arthur.

Bravo, Doctor.

Bravo.

Can you take your
trousers off, please?

No, no. It's,
it's my shoulder.

Please?

I will do that, Millie.

You may return to your duties.

But I want to.
Leave us.

Sit down.

Bare your shoulder.

Stubborn fool.
Why didn't you listen?

You could've left
when you had the chance.

I didn't know then
what I do now, Eliza.

Don't call me that.

Mrs. Graves,
you have to understand,

you are in danger here.

I can assure you I am not.

Give me your hand.

And what of those down below?

What about them?

Mrs. Pike
and the women,

are they suffering terribly?

Yes, all of them are.

You could go down
there yourself.

Or are you afraid that what you'll see
will weaken your loyalty to Lamb?

You have no idea what it
was like here before.

What monsters Salt
and his men were.

How we were stripped bare
and subjected to examinations

of the most disgusting,
intimate nature.

Strapped to tables,

given drugs to dull our senses,
and doused with ice-cold water

and made to suffer a thousand other
indignities too horrible to mention.

But you couldn't
possibly understand.

I can.
I can.

I can.

I can.

I know what cruelty is, Mrs.
Graves.

I know.

And I give you my word

that you will never again have
to suffer the way that you have.

Never.

Why do you care so much
what happens to me?

Because

the very thought of you
locked away in this madhouse

is abhorrent to everything
that I believe,

as a doctor
and... and as a man.

Excuse me.

For Christ's sake, Swanwick,
will you give it up?

We have as much chance
of escaping that way

as a man clawing his way
out of his own grave.

Maybe so, but at least it won't say on
my gravestone what it'll say on yours.

"He died like a dog
in the dark."

You done it.
You done it.

Get to town.
Quick. Hurry.

Get help.
Hurry.

I still don't get
why he's walking around.

He should be down
in a cage with the others.

I cannot continue to run this
bloody asylum on my own.

I need an assistant.
I thought that was me.

With medical training.

How hard can it be
to play a doctor?

"Turn your head
and cough."

"Bend over, young lady, while
I take a little look at you."

Your talents are better
suited to other duties.

Like making sure the dipsomaniacs
keep the bloody boilers stoked.

Bloody icebox in here.

What's he got on you?

What are you talking about?

You haven't been the same
since he showed up.

I suppose I feel a certain
sense of duty towards him.

He has the makings
of a fine asylum doctor.

Reminds me of myself,
a... headstrong, idealistic.

Fetch another, would you?

I sense a kindred spirit in him.

I believe he may understand what
I'm trying to accomplish here.

Yeah, well, how understanding
is he going to be

if he discovers Salt
and all them others?

Come the New Year, that
won't matter any longer.

There'll be nothing to discover.

I tell you, I don't trust
that little gutterfuck.

He's up to something.

Perhaps I'm wrong about him,

but he's taken a keen
interest in our Lady Graves.

He won't be raising any alarms

unless he has her on his side.

And that I can assure you
will never happen.

Someone's escaped.

Here. Here. Here.

If they reach town,
it's the end of us.

They won't.

Come on.
Come on.

Lord, no.
No.

Now, now, gentlemen.

You get back.
You bastards.

Back.
Get back.

There's no need for tears.

You have my word
you won't be harmed.

Is that what you said
to your mother and sister

before you slashed
their throats?

Aye, Mr. Swan.

But your methods
have cured my madness.

I'm a peaceful man now.

I am.

A veritable... Iamb.

No!

It's a sad
and shameful thing that.

Come now, Mr. Swanwick.

Let's get inside before
we all catch our deaths.

Dear.

One of them threw themselves
from Stag's Leap.

And this one came
at me like a banshee.

The horse spooked, reared up and
kicked the old pecker in the nut.

Fell down stone dead.

Suicidal tendencies are not uncommon
amongst the seriously deranged.

As we know.

Finn.

See that the body is buried.
Aye.

Dr. Lamb.

Did he stab himself
in the back as well?

He must have landed
on something when he fell.

Something sharp.

Pity.

No, you can't just
walk away from this.

From what, dear boy?

Sir, if you would only just
examine the body yourself.

I am not a coroner.
Nor are you.

Dr. Lamb, this man
has clearly been...

Killed by a horse.

I have an asylum to run.

And you I believe, Doctor,
have patients to attend to.

This is madness.

What did you say?

I said this is madness. Madness.

Madness, you say?

How dare you accuse me of madness
in front of my own staff?

I didn't accuse you of anything.

Two patients are dead, Newgate,

because you were not doing your
duty and watching over them.

Silas.
Where were you, Newgate,

when these two fellows escaped?

How many more must die
because of your negligence?

Silas!

Nurse, I think we'd better
get ourselves inside.

March 1st, 1891.

This enigma called Silas Lamb
continues to mystify me.

Silas remains mute about his
years as a military surgeon,

the war,

and most of all,
the horrific incident

that had him committed
to this asylum.

No! No!

And yet he has
no such reservations

when it comes to
protesting what he calls

my "barbaric" methods.

How ironic to be called cruel
by a man such as this,

a man accused
of such atrocities.

No! No!

When you have found
the thing a man fears most,

you will have discovered
the key to his madness

and the means to control it.

Silas appears
to fear very little.

But all men have
their breaking points.

And I am bound by my oath
as his doctor to find his.

To cure him

and to make him whole.

I believe Silas enjoys
what he mistakenly believes

is his control over me.

In his tormented mind,
his stay at Stonehearst

is merely a chess match.

And I am his pawn
to move as he sees fit

for his pleasure.

But like most children,
Silas seems to forget

all games must end.

And there is only one victor.

October 3rd., 1899.

Over the past nine years now

I have struggled to determine

what it is that haunts
the soul of Silas Lamb.

A cruel mother?

A sadistic father?

Indifferent God?

I don't claim
to know the answer.

I only know that animals
like Silas Lamb

must be broken

to be made men again.

That's one of my suits
you are wearing.

Fits me well, don't you think?

Of course, I had to
have it taken in a bit.

But then,

you're a stouter
fellow than I am.

Or were.

I suppose
I shouldn't be surprised

that killing unarmed
men in cold blood

hasn't affected your appetite.

On the contrary.

Their deaths
were most distressing

to myself and my staff.
Staff?

A bunch of inebriates and chronic
masturbators more like it.

Funny I've never seen the
harm in chronic masturbation.

Nevertheless,
I bring condolences

and a recommendation that no
one else repeat their error.

And as a show of good faith,

I'll increase your rations

and send down more fresh water.

You see, old friend, unlike you,

I'm not a cruel man.

Whilst,

whilst I'm here,

I thought you might like a report
on the condition of the patients.

I don't give a damn.

They're not my
responsibility any more.

The melancholiacs
are less lethargic

since being weaned off the large
doses of opium you had them on.

The hysterics are less listless

now that they don't have you
poking around their private parts.

Even the mongoloids are thriving since
being taken out of their restraints

and put to meaningful
work in the kitchens.

A pity it's all for naught

when they starve to death.

We are sufficiently provisioned.

I'll tell you what I
think, old friend.

I think that you haven't taken
anything for that cough

because you neglected
to lock the medical cabinet

and the opium addicts
got into the laudanum.

And I suspect that
you're wearing that suit

because it's the warmest
suit in my closet,

which comes in very handy
when you have imbeciles

looking after the boilers.

I hope you've enjoyed

pretending to be sane, Silas.

Has this masquerade

helped you to forget
what it was like

blowing those poor boys'
brains through their skulls?

Mr. Finn.
Dr. Lamb.

Find Dr. Newgate.

Have him meet me in the surgery.

Fine.
Don't eat.

See if I care.
Silly old cow.

Millie.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of being a nurse.

Can't things go back to
the way they were before?

May I try?

Thank you.

Now,

will you try one for me?

He doesn't like the taste of it.
No.

Your son, right?

And he tastes what
you taste, does he?

But how?
Right through the cord.

Do you not see how it stretches
from me out the window to him?

He's off fighting
the Afghans, he is.

You don't want me
to starve, do you,

Mother?

Daniel?

Yes.
Blessed Lord.

Is it really you, Daniel?

Yes, it's me.

Listen, no matter how great
the distance between us,

you will always be on my mind.

My dearest boy.

Listen, Mother,

I'm afraid I have
to go abroad again

on a secret diplomatic mission
for Her Majesty the Queen.

Where?

I'm not at liberty to say.

But food is very scarce there

so I need you
to eat for the both of us.

Can you do that for me?

For Daniel?

I will.
I will.

That's it.
That's it.

Well done.

Very good.

No, no, no. Go off to bed.
Get some rest.

I still have the bedpans to do.

No, doctor's orders.

Fine.
Go.

Millie, lock the door.

A couple more.

Very good.
That's it.

That's it.

Very good.

Thank you so much.

Millie really needs the rest.

Lamb has her running herself ragged
doing the work of four nurses.

On an empty stomach,
in a ward with no heat.

Well, in a few months
it'll be spring.

In a few months
we may all be dead.

Pneumonia. Typhus.
Starvation.

Finn, even.

Look, Lamb's experiment
is crumbling, Eliza.

Look, he cannot see it because
he's blinded by madness.

But you're not.

When I first arrived here,
Millie could barely speak.

Salt had put her in a
morphine coma to control her.

Lamb took her off
all sorts of medication.

Had her work on the wards.

It was good for her.

She's grown into a
capable young woman.

Yes, with the mind of a child,
but she's alive, Edward.

You love her like your own sister.
Yes.

That's why I can
never leave her.

Well, you don't have to.

Really, you don't have to.

We can go together all three of us.
Together.

Start a new life away from here.

Where?
Spain, Italy.

Someplace where the sun
is always shining

and the sky is blue,
and... and you can be free

to do whatever you want to do.

Somewhere you can be
truly, truly alive.

I can make that happen.

I can.

Nothing can get in our way.
Nothing.

My husband can.

If he does,
then I would kill him.

Be careful, Edward.

When you speak like that,
you don't sound like a doctor.

When I'm with you, I...

I forget that I am.

I wouldn't get
too close to that one.

Bit of a biter, she is.

Dr. Lamb requests
your presence.

Where?

Follow me.

Newgate, just in time.
For what?

To assist me in an experimental
procedure of my own devising

which, when perfected, I
expect to usher in a new era

in the humane treatment
of lunacy.

An unfortunate case.

Believes himself to be the rightful
superintendent of Stonehearst.

It's a common delusion.

Ranks right behind
Napoleon and Jesus Christ.

What are you going do to him?

Treat him, of course.

With Edison's miracle
of our age,

we shall banish to history
the straitjackets,

the cold baths,
the nausea machines,

the floggings.

Finn, we will start
with three seconds.

I call it "electrotherapy".

And I think you'll be
fascinated to see

what happens when it is applied
to the subject's brain.

You'll need a stronger stomach

if you expect to practice
asylum medicine.

It may look painful, but I can
assure you he feels nothing.

Yeah, but his heart. A tenth
of that could stop his heart.

You may do the honors
this time, Doctor.

What? No.

A dose of five seconds
should clinch it.

But, Dr. Lamb, you can't possibly imagine that I...
Do it!

Do it.

And now

you will see

the miraculous effects

of this remarkable new therapy.

What is your name, sir?

I don't know.

Are you the superintendent here?

I don't know.

As you can see,

a mind that was not moments
ago tormented by delusion

is now pacified.

I... Am I in hospital?

You are a patient
at Stonehearst Asylum.

Who are you people?

Tell him, Doctor.

Tell him.

We are your keepers.

I'm afraid that's the
last of the laudanum.

Thank you, Doctor.

Now listen. You must
rest if you can.

You need your strength.
For what?

Tonight I intend
to set you free.

All of you.
Tonight?

Why?

Because I fear
Lamb's procedure on Salt

was merely a rehearsal.

I fear he means to
do it to all of you.

Tonight.

I never did approve
of Dr. Salt's methods.

Of course, it wasn't
my place to criticize.

You know, Eliza said you
were always very kind to her

and the other patients.

I loved them
like my own children.

Even Lamb?

There is some good
even in poor Silas.

Though I fear it has become
deranged by madness.

How do I understand him?

Your first instinct
was the right one.

Think of him as your patient.

Shine the light of your sympathy

into the darkest
corners of his mind,

and maybe then you'll find
what he so desperately wants

to keep hidden from you
and from himself.

Only then will you have
what you need.

To defeat him?
No.

To heal him.

It is difficult imagining
Lamb as a patient.

Perhaps you should spend some time
where he spent so much of his.

Why won't you let me go?
I want to go.

Because it's not appropriate
for a girl your age.

But I'm not a girl.
I'm a lady.

Quite beautiful one, mind you.

You should see
how the boys stare at me.

Listen to me, Millie.

You must stay in this room
with the door locked

until I return,
do you understand?

You just want to leave me here so you
can run away with him, don't you?

Who?
Dr. Newgate.

Millie, that's absurd.

You're going to run away with him
and you're going to leave me here

to wipe bums and empty
bedpans, and it's not fair.

No. Sh.

There, there.
I'm not going anywhere.

Eliza?

Yes, darling.

What's it like?
What's what like?

To be in love?

You're the belle of the ball.

You look beautiful.

I suppose you've come
to ask me to dance.

Believe me, nothing
would please me more.

But there isn't time.

Look, I need you
to do me a favor.

There's something I must
do, and if Lamb asks you,

tell him I've gone outside for
some fresh air. Now tell him.

Where are you going?

To find a way to put
an end to all of this.

Wait.
Edward, wait.

Eliza.

How do you do?

Who? Me?

Why, I'd be delighted.

May I butt in?

Well, well.

What a beautiful dress.

And lovely shoes.

Think of him as a patient.

Shine the light of your sympathy

into the darkest
corners of his mind,

and maybe then you'll find what he so
desperately wants to keep hidden from you

and from himself.

No.

Pleurisy, I suspect.

Brought on by catarrh.

The...

The poor child's heart gave out.

Take the body
upstairs, would you?

No.
Do not touch her.

She's gone to a better place.

No.

This was supposed to be
a better place.

It is nearly midnight.

Someone.

You. Fetch the champagne.
Bring it here, quickly.

All of my friends.

Join me outside.

The new century
is nearly upon us.

Peter!

Where's Peter?

Peter, my pyromaniac friend.

You may do the honors.

Tonight we shall warm ourselves

by the fire

of our ignominious past.

Are you quite
finished there, Ted?

Spiking the bubbly, I mean.

You're slipping
them all a Mickey Finn.

Not if Mickey Finn
slips you one first.

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

That's the other one!

Come on.
Come on.

Now, now, Ted.

Doctor.

You're just in time.

Indeed.

There you are.

There we are.

Won't you be joining us, Doctor?

Of course.

Allow me.

Ten,

nine,

eight,

seven, six,

five, four,

three, two,

one.

Stop!

Stop!

Don't drink
the fecking champagne!

Believe nothing that you hear

and only one half
of what you see.

Welcome back, Ted.

There, have a little rest
while we set the stage.

I'll be back in two
shakes of a whore's tail.

Come on.

Dear friends.

A few hours ago

we celebrated the arrival
of a new century,

and in a few hours more,

we shall celebrate
the dawning of a new day

in this, the grand experiment

we have been
conducting together.

Eliza.
Thank God.

Please help me
undo these straps.

Please.

Eliza.

It was found on your person.

Why did you come here?

You know why I came here,
to study asylum medicine.

You're a liar.
He sent you.

Who?
My husband.

To take me back to him. No.

I don't believe you.

Why did you come here?

I...

I came here for you.

For me?
Why?

I saw you

six months ago
at a medical lecture.

I saw you.

You were there?

Help me. One of you.
Please, I'm not mad.

You looked so lost
and so beautiful.

It sickened me to see you
exhibited like a sideshow freak.

Look at me.

I would have stopped it
if I could, but I couldn't.

I couldn't.

So, I vowed there and then

that I would find you and
that nothing would stop me.

Did you even know my name?

It didn't matter.

No, it does matter.

Saying otherwise proves you're
no better than any of them.

Than who?

My family,

my doctors, my husband.

You act like I'm some
precious thing to be bartered

or put on display or possessed.

It's not like that
with me, Eliza.

No?

How is it different?

It's you who possesses me.

Excuse us, your Ladyship.

You must get out of here.

Go, please. Ride to the village.
Please.

Time for Ted's big debut.
Eliza, promise me.

Promise me.
Promise me.

Eliza.
Eliza!

Tonight we will show mercy

to a man who has betrayed us,

and through the miracle
of medical science

we make him in our image.

And when we are done, he'll not need
to be locked below in a dungeon

like the criminal he was,
but will join us

up above in the light,

fully rehabilitated.

And we shall embrace him
as one of our own.

Pity.

You would have made
a fine asylum doctor.

You showed a rare talent for it.

You're mad.

We're all mad,
Dr. Newgate.

Some are simply not mad
enough to admit it.

Crank it up, Finn.

Now.

We will start

with a dose of ten seconds.

Wait, wait, wait.

Before you start,
I'd like a final request.

In my vest pocket

there's a picture
of Eliza Graves.

I'd like her to have it.

Very well.

Silas.

Silas.

Silas!

Keep going.

Faster.
Faster!

Feck, I don't need you.
I'll do it me self.

Eliza.
Eliza, my feet.

Hurry.

Eliza!

Eliza!

Eliza.

Look at me.

Look at me.

Hit the switch.
Hit the switch.

Quick, my hands.

Eliza.
Quick, hurry.

Everybody out!
Evacuate the building!

Evacuate!

Take these keys
and set them free.

Where are you going?
To find Lamb.

Everybody outside!

Go that way.
Keep going.

Go that way.
Keep going.

Quickly.

Please help, Dr. Lamb.

Dr. Lamb.

They were suffering, so...

And I...

It's over, Silas.

I saved them.
I know. I know.

I saved them all.
I know.

The war, it's over, Silas.

There you go.

Ladies.

Let's start putting the
patients in the far wing.

William. William, you
may come with me now.

Yes, Mrs. Pike.
Come.

Inside.

Eliza.

Eliza.
Eliza.

Down here.

Silas.

Can you hear me?

Silas.

Eliza, he's gone.

Eliza.

We could leave now.

Edward, I can't.

You can't what?

I can't imagine being
anywhere but here.

You can't... I'm quite
sure you don't mean that.

Yes.

Because you are sane

and I am not.

I'm not sane.

I'm madly in love with you.

Eliza, listen to me.

Listen to me. There's
something I need to tell you.

I should've told you right from the
beginning, but I was too afraid.

Eliza...

Inexcusable this.

No way to run an asylum.

Dear God.

You realize we've been ringing
for over a quarter of an hour.

We need to speak with your
superintendent at once

on a matter of utmost urgency.

No.
What?

We can't speak with him?
Well, why the devil not?

There you are, dear.

Tea, Benjamin.

Sodomite.

Am I to understand it is you
who is in charge here, Madam?

It is.

Highly irregular.

No mind.

And what is this, sir?

Release papers instructing you to
discharge a former patient of mine

named Eliza Graves and
remit her to our custody.

I'm afraid I cannot, sir.

What?
Why not?

Because she was discharged
three weeks ago.

On whose orders?

Dr. Newgate's.

I beg your pardon?

Dr. Edward Newgate,
from Oxford.

That's impossible.
Why?

Because, my good woman,
I am Dr. Edward Newgate.

It's as I feared.
We're too late.

Would someone please tell
me what's going on?

The young man
you knew as Dr. Newgate

is neither a Newgate
nor a doctor.

How silly.
Of course he was a doctor.

I can assure you, madame,
he is not.

Well, who is he then?

A very cunning
and disturbed patient

who until two months ago
was under my care

at Bethlehem Royal
Hospital in London.

Forgive me, but that
makes no sense, Doctor.

Why would he go to the trouble of escaping
from one asylum only to enter another?

To find my wife.

Next patient.
Any questions?

It seems he became unduly
infatuated with Lady Graves

at a medical demonstration
I gave at Oxford.

Some time after that, he
managed to escape his room,

elude two orderlies, and flee
via a laundry chute,

in the process
stealing my pocket watch,

my Derringer, and my...

Identity.

In any event, suffice it to say,

he's a very disturbed young man.

He suffers
from Pseudologia fantastica,

one of the most severe
cases I've ever encountered.

In all the years I've known him,

I've never uncovered
his true identity.

It could very well be
that he's an empty shell

incapable of true feeling

beyond a cure.

Check

mate.

You'll excuse me
if I disagree, Doctor.

No one is beyond cure.

In fact, I believe your
young man has found his.

What precisely might that be?

Not what.
Who.

Shall we, Mrs. Lamb?

With pleasure, Dr. Lamb.