Alias Grace (2017): Season 1, Episode 3 - Part 3 - full transcript

He promised to marry me.

But now he's gone back
on his promise

and he would not even
speak with me.

GRACE:
Don't go to this doctor.

If you ever
tell anything about this

I will deny
ever having seen you.
GRACE: Mary!

MRS. PARKINSON:
We will not say how Mary died.

That will be best for all.

GRACE: I have no memory
of anything I said or did

during the time I was awake
between the two long sleeps.

And this worried me.



My husband took all
our money two days ago.

I do not know
where he has gone.

Mrs. Humphrey,
can you hear me?

VERRINGER:
We are hoping
you will write a report

favorable of Grace Marks.

That is why we have
brought you here.

Yes, I appreciate that.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

SIMON: I want to speak to you
about an account I read
of Grace at the asylum.

(SCREAMING)

SIMON: It paints her
as a gibbering madwoman...

(SHRIEKING)

SIMON:
Shrieking like a phantom...

(SCREAMING)



And running around
like a singed monkey.

Have you developed
your own theories
regarding her sanity?

I have been proceeding
with the utmost caution.

Have you asked her
what she remembers?

She remembers
her life before arriving
at Mr. Kinnear's

with a vividness and a mass
of circumstantial detail

that indicates the problem
is not with her memory
in general.

Are you acquainted
with a family called
Parkinson in Toronto?

VERRINGER:
He died some years ago

and the widow returned
to her native land.

She was an American
like yourself.

She found the winters
too cold.

SIMON: That is unfortunate.

Grace's first situation
was with the Parkinson's.

She had a friend,
a fellow servant,
called Mary Whitney.

You may recall
this was the false name
she gave when escaping.

In any case,
this young woman died

under abrupt circumstances.

When Grace was sitting
next to the body,

she said she heard
her dead friend speak to her.

MARY: Let me in.
SIMON: An auditory
hallucination, of course.

VERRINGER:
It is not at all uncommon.

I myself have attended
a great many deathbeds

and especially among
the sentimental,

it is counted a mark
of dishonor not to have heard
the deceased speak.

If an angel choir
is also audible,

so much the better.

This hallucination
was followed by an episode
of fainting and hysterics,

mixed with what would appear
to have been somnambulism.

After which, there was
a prolonged sleep
and subsequent amnesia.

So, she has a history
of such lapses?

We must not jump
to conclusions.

She herself is, at present,
my only informant.

It would be most useful

to approach the time
of the murders with her now,

given that she is speaking
about her amnesia.

I must reiterate.
My methods take time.

It is most crucial
not to rush her.

MRS. HUMPHREY: I suppose
it's still the shock.

So kind of you
to make dinner again.

You're so much more caring
than my husband ever was.

GRACE:
♪ Rock of ages, cleft for me

♪ Let me hide myself in thee

♪ Let the water and the blood

♪ From thy riven side
which flowed

♪ Be of sin the double cure

♪ Cleanse me from
its guilt and power ♪

(HUMMING)

(HUMMING STOPS)

I did not know
you could sing
so well, Grace.

You have a beautiful voice.

GRACE: Thank you, sir.

I used to have
more occasion for it
than I do now.

Grace, I noticed
that the guards
were quite rough with you.

Does this happen often?

Yes, sir.

They prod and poke at me.

They say filthy things
and make it so I can't
get free of them.

That is unjust.

I will speak to the Governor
of the prison about it.

I wonder what has been
causing your loss of sleep.

What makes you
say that, Grace?

You have dark circles
under your eyes

and it looks as though
haven't slept a wink.

Oh, I slept well.
Thank you for your concern.

Oh. A parsnip.

Not one I would have selected.

It has an orange tint
which means it is old.

Does it remind you
of anything?

There's, "Fine words
butter no parsnips."

It's also very hard to peel.

I believe
they're kept in cellars.

Oh, no, sir.

Outside in a hole
in the ground.

They are much improved
by being frozen.

Shall we continue
where we left off?

I've forgotten
just where that was, sir.

The death of Mary.

Your poor friend Mary Whitney.

Ah. yes. Mary.

She was buried
in my best nightdress

and she didn't look dead
in the least,

but only very pale.

And all laid out
in white like that

she looked just like a bride.

CHURCH MINISTER:
In sure and certain hope

of the resurrection
to eternal life
through our Lord Jesus Christ,

we commend to Almighty God
our sister Mary,

and we commit her body
to the ground.

Earth to earth,
ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The Lord lift up
his countenance upon her
and give her peace. Amen.

GRACE: She was put
with the Methodists
on Adelaide Street,

off in a corner right next
to the paupers,

but still within
the churchyard,

so I felt I had done
all for her that I could.

JEREMIAH:
I saw death in Mary's eyes,

but then, hindsight
is always accurate.

I will say
a prayer for her.

It was very hard for me
to believe that Mary
was truly dead.

Grace. Come.
Have a seat.

Come, come.

Grace.

Do you know the man?

Ma'am?

The man.

Mary.

I do not.

I'm going to ask you
to swear on the Bible

that even if you do know,
you will never divulge it.

And if you can
swear that on the Bible,

I will make sure
that your wages
are increased immediately.

And that if you should
choose to leave the house

I will give you
a good reference
for future employment.

I never had fault to find
with your work, Grace.

GRACE: Mr. George Parkinson
did not seem in any hurry

to get back
to the United States
and his education.

Excuse me, Mother.

Grace.
(YELPS)

(DISHES SHATTERING)

So sorry about
your friend Mary.

I know you were
very dear to her.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

George.

Grace.

Please be more careful.

(DOOR LATCH CLATTERING)
GEORGE: Grace. Open the door.

Grace. It's George. Let me in.

Grace, let me in!

Open the door.

I knew that, lock or no lock,
sooner or later he'd find
a way of getting in.

Once you are found
with a man in your room
you are the guilty one,

no matter how they get in.

As Mary used to say,
there are some of the masters
who think you owe them service

24 hours a day,
and should do the main work
flat on your back.

As I've said, sir,
she had a very forward way
of speaking.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Oh, Nancy, this is Grace.

Nancy's an old friend.
She is visiting
from Richmond Hill.

Lovely to meet you, Grace.

I must be going.
I need to get to
the dry goods auction

before Clarkson's
store closes.

Will you look at the pretty
muslin I got last time?

Now what would a housekeeper
be wanting with a dress
like that, Nancy?

You always had
such fine tastes.

Do you have a long road
ahead of you to Richmond Hill?

Oh, no, I did not take
the coach into town.
My master drove me in.

Do you know where
Richmond Hill is?

Up Yonge Street
past Hogg's Hollow.

I'm in want
of another servant
to help me with the work.

Mr. Kinnear, my master,
is a gentleman
of a fine Scottish family.

He's not married,
so there is no mistress

of the household
to carp and criticize.

Would you be interested
in the position?

I am lonely for female company

and I don't like being
a single woman

alone with a gentleman,
as people will talk.

Oh, I'm not sure...

Mr. Kinnear
is a liberal master

and he shows it
when he's pleased.

You'll be making
a good bargain and taking
a step up in the world.

What are your wages
at present?

Two dollars a month.

I will pay you
three dollars a month.

Well, that is
more than fair.

Wonderful.

Here is some money
for you to take the coach
to Richmond Hill tomorrow.

I myself will meet you
by the inn where you
will be let off.

COOK: Grace...

I'm sorry to steal
your best help, Sally.

You just said such glowing
things about my new girl.

Yet little did I know
you would be taking
her from us...

(GIGGLES)

I'm not sure
it is a suitable position
for a young girl like you.

Why not?

Nancy has always
been kind to me
and I don't like to talk.

A person has to take
her own chances

and the least said,
the soonest mended.

I don't know anything
for certain so it would not
be right for me to say more,

but I feel I've done
my duty to you in saying
as much as I have

because you have
no mother to advise you.

GRACE: And I didn't have
the least idea of what
she was talking about.

Have you heard any harm
spoken of Mr. Kinnear?

Nothing the world
at large would call harm.

GRACE: It was like
a puzzle I could not guess

and it would have been
better for all if she had
spoken more plainly.

But the pay was higher
than anything I'd had before,
which weighed heavily on me

along with my need
to get away from
Mr. George Parkinson.

And what weighed
even more heavily on me

was Nancy Montgomery herself.

She resembled Mary Whitney,
or so I then thought.

And I'd been
depressed in spirits
ever since Mary's death.

And so I decided to go.

The journey up Yonge Street
to Richmond Hill

was more uncomfortable
than I expected.

Never look behind you.
Why not?

Because the past is the past
and regret is vain.

Let bygones be bygones.

You know what became
of Lot's wife...

Turned to a pillar
of salt, she was.

Waste of a good woman.
(CHUCKLES)

Not that they aren't
all the better
for a pinch of salt.

See that there?
Montgomery's Tavern.

That's where Mackenzie
and his band of ragtags

held their seditious meetings

and set out to march
down Yonge Street
during the rebellion.

William Lyon Mackenzie?

One of them was
shot in front of it

trying to warn
the Government troops,

they burnt it down afterwards.

Some of the traitors
were hung, but not enough.

That cowardly rascal
Mackenzie should be
dragged back from the States.

He ran off leaving
his friends to swing
at the rope's end for him.

GRACE: I could tell by
the smell of his breath

that it was just as well
not to provoke him.

And so I said nothing.

William Lyon Mackenzie
was a hero to Mary.

It was hard to say nothing.

Where are you staying?

What you don't know
won't hurt you.

Why don't you come in
to the inn with me

for a glass or two of whiskey,
just for old times' sake?

Would your name
be Grace Marks?
Yes.

Is this man
a friend of yours?

No, he is not.

The lady does
not desire your company.

She is no lady.
She is a whore.

(BODY THUDS)

I am Thomas Kinnear,
your new employer.

I've come to fetch you.

Well, you've not been
in town five minutes

and you have managed
to attract gentleman admirers.

GRACE: They are not.

Not gentlemen,
or not admirers?

This is Charley.

Up you go, Grace.

Do you mean me
to sit in the front?

Well, we can hardly
have you in the back
like a piece of luggage.

GRACE: I was not used
to sitting beside
a gentleman like him,

but he didn't seem
to give a second thought.

And there we were,
driving up Yonge St.,

just as if I was a fine lady.

What did Mr. Kinnear
look like?

He had a gentlemanly
bearing, sir.

Is that all?

You did not observe
him very particularly.

I did not wish
to gape at him, sir,

and I would have needed
to turn my whole head,
because of my bonnet.

I suppose you've never
worn a bonnet,
have you, sir?

No, I have not.

I expect it is confining.

It is that, sir.

Hello, Jamie.

This is Grace Marks,
come all the way
from Toronto.

I found her at the inn.

Jamie lives nearby
and helps us around the farm
from time to time.

JAMIE: Is it big, Toronto?

Is it very grand?
I have never been there.

Grand enough.

I could not find it in me
to answer him properly
about Toronto,

because right then
I was bitterly sorry
I had ever left it.

(LAUGHING)

GRACE: I heard her laughing.

She had not given me
one word of greeting.

McDermott, take Grace's
things to her room.

GRACE: Something squeezed
tight about my heart.

When I close my eyes

I can remember
every detail of that house
as clear as a picture.

I could walk through
every room of it blindfolded.

It's strange to reflect

that of all the people
living in that house,

I was the only
one of them left alive
in six months' time.

Though at that moment
I had no particular
feeling about it

and only wanted
a drink of water.

Eventually, Nancy
gave me a proper
tour of the house.

There's no separate
laundry room,

but the things for washing,
the coppers, the washtub,
and the scrubbing board,

are present
in the summer kitchen.

We don't keep a pig.
They're too clever
for their own good.

Mr. Kinnear's old dog
Fancy died.

I'd feel easier with a dog
about the place
to bark at strangers.

There's a trap door
under here to the cellar.

GRACE:
I thought it was an odd place

as the kitchen
would have been
more convenient,

but the kitchen
didn't have
a cellar under it.

Go on, Grace.

Of course.

The cellar stairs
were too steep for comfort,

and the cellar itself
was divided into two parts
by a half-wall,

the dairy on the one side,
where they kept the butter
and the cheeses,

and, on the other side,
the place where they stored

the wine
and the beer in barrels

and apples and the cabbages
and the beets and potatoes...

Yes, Grace but...

Yes, sir?

I understand
what is stored in a cellar.

Of course.

There is a window down there
but you should always
take a candle or a lantern.

It's very dark below
and you could trip

and fall down the stairs
and break your neck.

(CELLAR DOOR SLAMS)

GRACE: We did not go down
into the cellar at that time.

Nancy, who was now all smiles,
showed me to my room.

She had on a very handsome
pair of earrings,

which I could tell
were real gold,

and I wondered
how she could afford them

on the salary
of a housekeeper.

I could see there was
no love lost between
McDermott and Nancy.

He is more surly than ever.

Well, he can suit himself
and welcome.

It's a smile
or the open road for him...

Or more likely
the bottom of a ditch.

I am very glad
to see you, Grace.

You must be very tired
after your journey,
it's very fatiguing.

Why don't you rest
and start work in the morning?

GRACE:
I liked being early to rise.

That way, I could pretend
for a little while
that the house was all my own.

Mind your manners
or I'll wring your neck.

Would that be me
you're addressing?

No, it would not.

I could tell
what he had in mind,
and it was not original.

(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

GRACE: I did think it unusual
for a housekeeper
to be learning the piano.

But of course
I said nothing.

And then everything went on
very quietly for a fortnight?

Yes, sir, it did.
More or less quietly.

What is everything?

How did it go on?

I beg your pardon, sir?

What did you do every day?

Oh, the usual, sir.
I performed my duties.

You will forgive me.

Of what did
those duties consist?

GRACE:
You were not making a joke.

You really don't know.

Men such as yourself
do not have to clean up
the messes you make,

but we have to clean up
our own messes
and yours into the bargain.

In that way
you are like children.

You do not
have to think ahead,

or worry about
the consequences
of what you do.

But it is not your fault.

It is only how
you were brought up.

(RHYTHMIC FOOTSTEPS)

(PANTING)

(TAPPING CONTINUES)

And then?

GRACE: Then I collected
the slop pails
and rinsed them out.

With a pump,
you have to pour some in
before you can get any out.

Mary Whitney used to say
that was exactly
how men viewed

the flattering of a woman,
when they had
low ends in view.

Mary Whitney was not proper
but she was honest.

Mmm. So that's how
you rinse out a slop pail.

Well, of course
I went to the privy first
to empty it.

I went to the privy
and emptied the slop pail,
and so forth.

And so forth?

GRACE: Really, Doctor,
I thought...

If you didn't know
what you do in a privy

there really is
no hope for you.

What I did was, I hoisted
my skirts and sat down
above the buzzing flies,

on the same seat
everyone in the house sat on,

lady or lady's maid,
they both piss
and it smells the same,

and not like lilacs neither,
as Mary Whitney used to say.

Some of the pictures were
of duchesses from England

and high-society ladies
in New York and the like.

You should never
let your picture
be in a magazine

or newspaper
if you can help it,

as you never know what ends
your face may be made
to serve by others

once it has got out
of your control.

But I did not say any
of this to you, Dr. Jordan.

And so forth.

And so forth is all you are
entitled to, I thought.

Just because you pestered me
to know everything

was no reason
for me to tell you.

Good morning.
GRACE: Good morning.

Is the tea made?
GRACE: Yes.

Oh, I feel I am scarcely alive
in the morning until
I've had my cup of tea.

Mr. Kinnear will take
his tea upstairs.

He will want a second cup
when he comes down.

I will take it up.

At Mrs. Parkinson's,
the housekeeper
would never carry the...

It was beneath her position
and a job for the maids.

Of course.

I only took it up
when short of help.

I've got into
the habit of it lately.
Go ahead.

Your tea, sir.

KINNEAR: (GROANS)
Yes. Bring it in.

(GROANS) Thank you, Grace.

There's beautiful eggs
this morning, sir.

Would you want one
for your breakfast?

Yes. Thank you, Grace.
I'm sure it will do me good.

I will have one also.

He will have his fried,
with bacon,
and mine should be boiled.

We will have
breakfast together
in the dining room.

He requires me
to keep him company.

He does not
like to eat alone.

Is Mr. Kinnear ill at all?

No. He just likes
to be fussed over.

I wonder why
he never married,
a fine man like him.

Some gentlemen
do not have an inclination
for the married state.

They are very pleased
with themselves
the way they are

and think they can get along
well enough without it.

I suppose they can at that.

Certainly they can,
if rich enough.

If they want a thing,
all they have to do
is pay for it.

It's all one to them.

(INAUDIBLE)

His nightshirt
needs to be aired out.

Yes, I was just about to.

And his dressing things
are not to be laid out
like this.

This is how he likes them.

And you'll need to polish
the silver backs every week.

At Mrs. Parkinson's
we did it
every three days.

I don't care,
as you are not
at Mrs. Parkinson's.

His folded shirts
are ready for wear
and go on this shelf.

GRACE:
What is this picture of?

NANCY:
It's Susanna and the Elders,
which is a Bible subject.

GRACE: I know my Bible
backwards and forwards

and this is not one
of the stories in it.

Yes, it is.

It is not.

You're not here
to argue about paintings,
but to clean the room.

Are you two discussing
theology, and so early
in the morning, too?

It is nothing for you
to be bothered by.

I should like to know
what you were discussing.

It does not matter.

Well, Grace,
I can see that Nancy wishes
to keep it a secret from me,

but you must tell me.

I...

I was wondering if
this picture is of a Biblical
subject, as Nancy says.

Oh, no.
Strictly speaking
it is not.

The story is in the Apocrypha.

What might that be?

You're very curious
for such a young person.

Soon I will have the most
learned maidservant
in all Richmond Hill.

I'll have to put on a display
like the mathematical pig
in Toronto.

The Apocrypha is a book
where they put all the stories
from Biblical times

they decided should
not go in the Bible.

Who decided?

I thought the Bible
was written by God.

It is called the Word of God
and everyone terms it so.

Perhaps God wrote it,
but it was men
who wrote it down,

which is a little different.

But those men were said
to have been inspired by God,

which means
he spoke to them,
told them what to do.

Did they hear voices?

Aye.

GRACE: I was glad to hear
that someone else
had heard voices too

though I didn't say that.

In any case
the voice I had heard,
that one time,

had not been God's
but Mary Whitney's.

Do you know
the story of Susanna?

No.

She was a young lady
who was falsely accused

of sinning with a young man
by a group of old men,

because she refused to commit
the very same sin with them.

She would have been
stoned to death but luckily
she had a very clever lawyer,

and he was able to prove
that the old men were lying

by inducing them to give
contradictory evidence.

What do you think
the moral of it is?

That you should not take baths
outside in the garden.

(LAUGHS)

I think the moral is
you need a clever lawyer.

This girl is
no simpleton after all.

Oh, I found a shirt
clean and put away

with a button missing.

It is very aggravating
to put on a clean shirt

only to discover
you cannot do it up properly
because of a lack of buttons.

Please mind
that does not happen again.

You did not clean my shoes
properly this morning.

Watch yourself.

(GRUNTING)

Grace. You look tired.

You should sit down with me
and have a cup of tea.

I cannot risk waiting
on the laundry.

At this time of year
there could be a quick change
in the weather.

All right.

When you have it all hung up
let's have a cup of tea, then.

GRACE: There is a great deal
of pleasure to be had

in a wash all clean
and blowing in the wind.

The sound of it is like
the hands of the heavenly
hosts applauding,

though heard from far away.

And they do say
that cleanliness
is next to Godliness.

And sometimes,
when I have seen
the pure white clouds

billowing in the sky
after a rain,

I used to think that it was
as if the angels themselves

were hanging out their washing

for I reasoned
that someone must do it

as everything in Heaven
must be very clean and fresh.

But these were
childish fancies,

as children like
to tell themselves stories

about things
that are not visible.

And I was scarcely
more than a child at the time,

though I thought of myself
as a grown woman.

Excuse me.
Excuse me, Grace.

Yes, hello, Jamie.

I was wondering
if there were
any errands to be run.

I'll have to ask Nancy.

If I am sent into the village
and there is any little thing
that you should want,

I would be glad
to fetch it for you.

Thank you, Jamie.

Jamie. Come inside
and I'll tell you
what we need.

And you must come back later
and bring your flute.

He plays so beautifully.
It's a pleasure to hear.

Do you enjoy dancing?

Why do you ask?

I saw you dancing
in the barn the other day.
You're a good dancer.

Maybe I am
and maybe I'm not.

Tell me about your life
before you came to work here.

Who would care
to hear about that?
GRACE: I would.

All such stories
are of interest to me.

Me, myself, I've always
been a scapegrace.

Never one to lick
the boots of the rich.

And do you have
a mother living?

Whether I do or don't
is all the same to me.

She had a bad opinion of me
and told me I was going
straight to the Devil.

She could be dead
for all I know
or care about it.

I deserted the army
and stowed away on a ship
bound for America.

When I got to this country
I enlisted as a soldier in
the Glengarry Light Infantry.

Didn't they have
a bad reputation?

My friend told me.

Didn't they burn down
farmhouses during
the Rebellion?

Turn women and children
out into the snow?

Yeah, and they've done
far worse besides.

There's some things
they don't print
in the papers.

But then the Rebellion ended
and the regiment was disbanded

and I heard about
this position.

I thought I'd be working
for the gentleman himself,
but not so.

A woman is set
over me instead.

One who never gives me
a moment's rest
from her tongue.

So do you have a sweetheart?

Pretty girl like you
might be expected to have one.

I do not. I do not have
any inclinations that way.

Well, that is a pity,
but there's a first time
for everything.

You'd only need
breaking in like a colt

and then you'll go as good
as the rest of them.

I'm the man for the job.

I'll thank you to keep such
offensive remarks to yourself.

I am not a mare.

I didn't mean it.

It's all in fun.

I just wanted to see
what sort of a girl
you might be.

What sort of a girl I might be
is no business of yours.

Remain where you are.

I would rather have
good butter than a curtsy.

Always busy I see, Grace.

Yes, sir.

The Devil finds
work for idle hands to do.

I trust you do not mean me.

My hands are idle enough,
but not nearly devilish
enough for my liking.

Oh, no, sir,
I did not mean you.

(CHUCKLES)
It is very becoming
for a young woman to blush.

NANCY: How's the butter
coming along, Grace?

Where is Mr. Kinnear going?

NANCY:
To Colonel Bridgeford's.

His wife is away,
so he can visit safely.

When she's home
he is not well received.
Why ever not?

He's is considered
a bad influence
by Mrs. Bridgeford.

GRACE: Why?
What has he done?

Well, as far as I know
he was packed off
to the colonies

to get him out of the way.

Why?

The usual reasons, I suspect.

Debt or women.

Oh, there.
The butter is coming.

I don't like it down here.

It always smells
of earth and mice
and old vegetables.

I suppose most cellars do.

Perhaps it could be given
a good airing out someday.

What on Earth
is he doing?

He just does
that sometimes.

He says it is for exercise

but really he just wants
to be admired.

You should not
pay any attention.

GRACE: So there I was
pretending not to watch,

and there he was,
pretending not to be watched
as women and men often do,

and he was the sort of man
who you knew

you shouldn't look at, at all,
but you looked anyway.

Jamie.

You brought your flute.

Grace fetch Jamie
a mug of beer.

I'll have one, too.

I didn't know you had
monkey blood in you.

You was leaping
about like one.

Yeah, well,
when the cat's away
the mice do play.

Nancy always
likes her little parties.

I'm sure the Welsh boy
will be screeching
on his tin whistle soon.

That is quite right.
And I will give myself
the pleasure of hearing it.

To my mind
that's no pleasure.

Well, you can
suit yourself then.

I didn't mean
to offend you before.

I've been so long around
rough men whose manners
are not the best.

I'm inclined
to forget myself.

I don't know how to speak.

I'm just hoping
you can forgive me
and we can be friends.

Is forgiveness
not ordained in the Bible?

(JAMIE PLAYING FLUTE)

And there we were,
in a kind of harmony.

The evening
was so beautiful
it made a pain in my heart,

as when you cannot tell
whether you are happy or sad.

And I thought that
if I could have a wish

it would be that
nothing would ever change

and we could stay
that way forever.

But the sun cannot
be stopped in its path,

except by God,

and he has done
that only once

and will not do it again

until the end of the world.

I thought,
if I could have two fireflies
on my ears for earrings...

I should be going home.
My father
will be looking for me.

GRACE: I would not care at all
about Nancy's gold ones.

Grace, make sure you lock
all the doors and windows.

And will you sleep
with me tonight?

I'm afraid when
Kinnear is not home.

(THEME SONG PLAYING)