Cobra (2020–2021): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript

There will be just 30 minutes

before we know if this storm
will fuse a few kettles

or send us back to the Stone Age.

Anna?

You didn't answer my letters.

Four super-transformers
on the electricity grid

have been burned out, leaving large
areas of the country without power.

I have spoken to Her Majesty

and informed her of the measures
I intend to take

under the emergency legislation.

Have you ever seen a transformer?



How long does
transformer replacement take?

In some cases it can be
a question of weeks.

Northumberland can wait.

Get the rest on the road
with military protection immediately.

The situation is getting worse here,
minute by minute.

So, which virtue-signalling ponce
has been lined up to replace him?

Francine Bridge was one thought
that occurred to me.

A little while ago,

Georgia's parents agreed to
switch off her life support machine.

- Fire!
- Fire!

I can't let Ellie face
the possibility of prison, Robert.

Leave it to me and Peter,
we will get through this.

A situation has developed

at the university next to the Hadley
Brook Immigration Removal Centre.



It wasn't all of them.

Like, at first, it was really friendly,
we had a party going on,

and then...

...there were a couple who started,
like, harassing the girls.

The main guy was
the one with the face...

He had, like, markings on his face.

I don't know, like,
blotches down one side.

He was the main trouble-maker.

He was the one who started
dragging girls into rooms.

Things just started getting out
of hand, there was a fight, and...

...then one of them
tried to stop him, but...

He was the one that got stabbed.

- Sir? Buses are ready to go.
- Thanks.

- Where are we going?
- Our command centre is in the hospital.

It still has power, so we can try to
arrange to get you home from there.

It definitely wasn't all of them.

But the guy with the face markings,
the ringleader, he was...

Yeah, he was just bad.

So, if you bring this to us later,
we'll definitely get them all signed.

I thought you were staying
with Francine Bridge?

She was busy with her Resilience Forum,
so I checked into this hotel.

Are you OK?

I'm fine. I'm fine!

What's happened at the university?

Well, as far as we can tell,
it was all a big fiesta

while the students
waited for evacuation.

Then, a few of the escapees
from Hadley Brooke showed up,

trouble started.

- Two girls were raped.
- Oh, Jesus.

One of the escapees
actually tried to stop it,

he was stabbed in the neck.

I wonder what angle the press will take?

There was a ringleader, apparently.

He's been identified as a violent
criminal called Nojus Sabonis.

He was awaiting repatriation
to Lithuania,

having served a six-year sentence
for an acid attack on his girlfriend.

- Have they found him?
- No.

I have to go up there, Anna.
To Northumberland.

Are you sure? It sounds like...

I'll wait and find out
we're not just getting in the way,

but... I have to go there.

The nationwide blackout that plunged
the UK into darkness over a week ago

has still not been completely resolved

and a significant part of the
country remains without power.

The government has declared
a national emergency,

with special measures that include
a ban on all unauthorised travel

within and between
certain designated areas,

especially the Red Zone
of North East England.

This includes large cities,
like Newcastle and Sunderland,

which have effectively
come to a standstill.

The travel ban has come under
intense scrutiny and criticism

by opposition parties.

There are reports of people collapsing

after being forced to walk
miles to relief centres

for basic resources, aid and shelter.

- Can I see your paperwork please, sir?
- Yeah, no problem.

Cheers.

They started coming within
a few hours of the blackout.

First in their tens,
then their hundreds.

It's now thought that over 2,000 people

have sought refuge at
the Royal Northumberland Hospital,

from where the relief operation
in the Red Zone is...

Sorry!

Freckles?

It was his prison nickname apparently.

Mainstream media, just trying
to demonise immigrants again.

Wait, wait, is the right answer
"Western foreign policy"?

Sorry, how many kids got bombed
in the Yemen this week?

- Who's going to prison for that?
- He's got you there.

Can I just point out, this guy is
not an impoverished asylum seeker,

but a hardened woman-hating criminal
from Lithuania.

He got the facial markings

in an acid attack
on a defenceless young girl.

Yeah, save it for The Hague, you melt.

Right, this neoliberal discourse
will not write itself,

so I am gonna lock myself
in the study for the next hour or so.

I've got no idea
what time we'll be back,

so I'll probably stay at Maddie's again,

- she's down in her constituency.
- Yeah, sure.

Yeah, Fraser, hi.

Good morning, everyone.

So, we've re-coded the zones
still without power

or with very little supply.

The Red Zone is Northumberland,
north of Newcastle

and reaching as far as Stockton.

Yellow Zone is North Wales,

from the Llyn Peninsula
across to Prestatyn.

Green is west coast of Scotland,
north of Kilmarnock.

And Blue is North Cornwall,
west of Camelford.

The rest of the UK, approximately
80%, is in the White Zone,

where power is almost fully restored,
but subject to brownouts.

- We're visiting the Red Zone?
- Mm-hmm.

We'll stop at the first
roadblock between zones

so the PM can speak
to some of the troops

enforcing the zonal traffic controls.

Kettling.

It's not kettling.

People are walking out
with what they can carry.

It's preserving fuel so we can keep
our emergency centres running.

We leave straight after
this morning's COBRA.

The PM will travel in his car.

You lot will follow behind
in a special bus

also carrying medical supplies.

He'll come on board to chat
from time to time.

And will this bus have some kind
of message of hope on it or...?

Cos I'm definitely
gonna fall for questions

about messages on the side of buses.

Any update on Freckles?

Obviously, the search continues
for the escaped detainees.

Can I please ask you
to report this responsibly.

They're not refugees or failed migrants,

several were hardened criminals,

legitimately in the UK
at the time of their arrest.

Is Rachel Sutherland
travelling with her husband?

No.

Because of the situation
with their daughter?

There is no situation
with their daughter.

I hear the police
may interview Ellie again.

Is the PM gonna make any comment

in light of Toby Kennedy-Brown's
revelations to my paper?

You have me at a disadvantage, Cressida.

He was at the party
where Georgia Nixon died.

We're running a piece
with him on Sunday.

Well, the Prime Minister is rather busy

trying to deal with
the national emergency,

but, of course, the entire family is
devastated by the death of a friend.

Right, see you all later
for the big road trip.

I hope you all brought
lots of refreshments.

I've invited Francine Bridge
onto the bus.

She called me a monument
to unconscious sexism at PMQs once.

Oh, you know, the cut and thrust
of parliamentary debate...

- Very unfair. I'm actually a feminist.
- Never say that again.

Anna, I can't tell you
how relieved I was

to hear you hadn't burned
alive in that hotel.

- Thank you so much.
- And hubby back safely, too.

Hope to see him
back on our screens soon.

- What's up with the friendly snark?
- No idea, but I don't like it.

So, all I really know is one of
the Sundays is running a piece.

It could just be about
the dangers of fentanyl.

It could be.

Do you know a guy called
Toby Kennedy-Brown?

- Yeah.
- He was at the party?

Yeah.

He's the one been talking
to the journalist doing the piece.

Toby? He's, like, the biggest...

I mean, he'd stick his finger
in a plug socket for a hit.

Just stick entirely to the story
you told the police

the first time round.

Why do they want to speak to me again?

Georgia's father has been very vocal.

They need to be seen to do
everything they can

- to avoid any accusations of...
- Favouring the posh white girl.

- Precisely.
- He'd be right, though.

That's exactly what's going on.

Because posh white girls
tend to fare very badly in prison.

Just leave it with me. All right?

This will all blow over soon,
as long as we stick to the script.

Good morning, everyone.

Now, as you're aware,
I shall be leaving for the Red Zone

immediately after this meeting.

I do think the current climate
is unfavourable

for a visit by you, Prime Minister.

Well, running scared
from the current climate

has never done us any favours.

The police are very anxious

that, with conditions in the camp,

the atmosphere will be
intensely hostile to you personally.

They should attend a cabinet meeting.

I have to say, Prime Minister,

that I do share
the Home Secretary's concerns.

I have major worries
about the security implications.

We should wait and send a royal.

We have to show
that we're not frightened.

Now, I've asked the Press Secretary

to request
that the editors ease off a little

on this situation with the Hadley
Brooke rapist still on the run.

Catching Freckles
would be a low-cost morale boost.

I have to question
whether an extensive manhunt

is a reasonable use of scarce resources

during this current emergency.

He and his refugee mates
did rape a bunch of girls.

Two.

I'm surprised to see you of all people

downplaying the seriousness
of such a crime, Anna.

I won't dignify that with a response.

But the last thing we need right now

is a scare campaign against immigrants.

Oh, yes, heaven forbid we should put
anybody's interests above theirs.

Remember Cologne?

This was not Cologne.

And one of the escapees nearly died
trying to prevent it...

I will take a very dim view

on anyone who fans the flames
of xenophobia right now.

This country is on the brink.

We do nothing to further division
or disorder.

Yeah. OK, good. Yeah, that one.

OK, hold on.

Fraser, a relief lorry
has been hijacked near Doncaster.

- What was it carrying?
- Bottled water.

It's gonna cause a big problem.

Red Zone's already
running close to zero,

we need a replacement
on the road at once.

Uh... Yeah, the warehouses
are also reporting shortages.

Then a tanker. Anything.

We can't have them running out of water,

especially with the PM about to show up.

Fraser Walker.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

OK, leave it with me.

- I'm shitting myself, Anna.
- This is where you're at your best,

thinking on your feet,
dealing with a hostile crowd.

- I have no empathy.
- Of course you do.

I'm not here to feel your pain.

I am here to tell you how we're
gonna get the lights back on.

You see? That's good.

Everyone talks about empathy these days.

But that's not gonna
get the lights back on.

No, keep it first person.

You know, i-it's easy enough to hug
survivors and blame the government,

but it's much, much harder
to actually put things right.

No, it's too obvious,
it's too party political.

Plus, it reminds people

that we haven't always been
the party of hugs.

Kick out the jams, motherfuckers.

I'd rather you hated me than forgot me.

Smashed it. Let's hit the road.

I called him a monument to
unconscious sexism at PMQs once.

Oh, don't worry, he won't remember that.

Been called far worse.

Pleased to see you, Francine.

Monumentally pleased, in fact.

OK, I lied. He never forgets an insult.

I am glad you've joined us.

Hopefully we'll get a chance
to chat on the journey.

They're running low on bottled water
in the Red Zone.

What do you mean
you're running low on water?

I mean, blood, insulin, I can kinda get,

but water's pretty damn basic,
don't you think?

- Well, it's because...
- I don't care about the reason, Fraser,

just get it bloody sorted.

I don't wanna turn up there and
see crying kids begging for water.

That would look pretty fucking
regrettable, don't you think?

No glitches, remember?

I shall see you anon.

I thought you might be going
on the magical mystery tour.

Better stories here.

Have you actually been outside the M25?

Yes. I lived in Scotland, actually.

I'm not sure the University
of St Andrews really counts.

I trolled the Press Secretary gently
with Toby Kennedy-Brown.

- Does he know what he said?
- No.

Peter Mott and Rachel Sutherland
have been coaching Ellie

for her police interviews.

If I were a journalist,

I'd want to know the degree to which
the Prime Minister sanctioned that.

And if I were a politician,

I'd also be setting up
a few ambushes at PMQs.

You need him to lie to parliament.

That's what always gets them in the end.

One step at a time.

Right, I'm on the radio in half an hour.

Listen up,
cos I'm gonna melt a few snowflakes.

This is the second violent attack
in as many days

on drivers who are
working round the clock

to try and deliver emergency supplies

to vulnerable people in the Red Zone.

Shit, that's all we bloody need.

General Secretary
of the Lorry Drivers' Union...

I was wondering when we'd hear
from Comrade Rowntree.

- What's he saying?
- That it's all our fault.

Not ruling out a national stoppage.

Peter.

OK. I'm just with Anna,
so I'll talk to you at the next stop.

OK.

- What's that about?
- Oh, just Peter.

I said, "What's it about?"
not, "Who was it?"

Ellie's just finished
with the police, apparently.

Right, so, Peter's...

Francine Bridge must know
a thing or two about Harry Rowntree.

Have her come and sit up with us.

- That was terrible.
- Well, it's over now.

- They knew!
- Don't think about it.

- It's finished. Put it behind you.
- Put it behind me?!

Oh, Ellie... Oh, God.
I meant the interview, sweetheart.

Not Georgia.

Please...
Please, stop torturing yourself.

Peter.

No, fucking awful.

This is the last of the water bottles.

We'll soon have water, very soon.

It's all gone.

The rest of you will have to wait
for the next delivery.

There's no more water, it's all gone.

- Come on, love.
- I'm next!

You're next.

I'm next! I was next!

Please, my daughter is thirsty.

It's ladies first in this country.

You were next, love. I'm sorry.

I'm not jumping the queue.

He's got a bairn, as well!

- You see his face, though?
- Yeah.

- Them marks?
- That's him. That's Freckles.

Downing Street, meanwhile, has confirmed

that the Prime Minister will visit
the Red Zone relief camp today,

after criticism from the opposition

that the government is abusing
its emergency powers...

How many people are travelling
between the zones?

Not so many now,
but it was difficult at first.

I understand. Thank you very much.

- What's happening with Ellie?
- It's under control.

It's imperative he's not
seen to be influencing...

- Anna...
- ...at any point, Peter...

- ...you do your job and I'll do mine.
- He is my job.

Especially if it looks like his
daughter has just lied to the police

with his knowledge.

It's all under control.

Well, they were supposed to
be here half an hour ago.

Look, where is the water tanker now?

Right, well, put your fucking foot down,

because this place will slide
into anarchy without water.

Shit.

Sir! Sir, come quickly.
They're gonna kill him.

We can't hold them anymore.

- What's going on?
- They're gonna lynch somebody!

Stop!

Stop!

Move!

Stop!

Stop! Stop! This is murder. Stop!

What the hell is going on here?!

He's trying to say something!

Whoa! Whoa!

Vitiligo!

Listen to me! Listen to me! Listen.

Vitiligo. He's got vitiligo.

It's a skin condition, not acid burns.

Listen, man! Please!

This isn't the guy you think it is, OK?

He's not Freckles! He's not Freckles!

Just let me unfasten him
and I will let you go, OK?

OK? I promise.

I'm just gonna unfasten him, right?

Come on.

Look at you all!
You're behaving like animals!

Fuck off! Is this what we've come to?

Jarvis, help me get him inside!

Gold Commander says it isn't safe.

They're still waiting
on the water tankers

and they've just narrowly
avoided a lynching.

What?!

There were a few people

who mistook a dark-skinned
Asian man with vitiligo

for a blue-eyed Lithuanian
with acid burns.

Is he all right?

Well, suspected fractured skull
among other things.

They took him into the hospital,

and there are still rumours Freckles
is in there, being protected.

I think you should get back to the car.

I don't want the press taking
pictures of us stranded here.

Hey! Are you OK?

Absolute PR catastrophe
if I have to turn around.

It'll be even worse if it starts
kicking off at the hospital.

You look like you haven't slept
more than two hours

since this whole thing started.

More or less.

I've been popping pills
to cope with the lack of sleep.

Well, I'd knock that shit
on the head if I were you.

I was pleased to hear
you might join Policy.

You were a massive loss to the party.

Are you still a member?

I left because...

of everything, really.

I'm still a bit...

- Well, actually, I'm a bit homeless.
- Join the club.

Fraser.

No, no. No, no.

One of your staff just
told me about your father.

- Oh, i-i-i-it's not because of that.
- No, I...

Losing a parent's just...

I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier
about the water situation.

You're doing a fantastic job.

Thank you.

Better go and hide back in the car.

Have you decided?

On the advice of the security detail,
we're heading back to London.

Well, that really won't look good.

Home Secretary,
civil liberty campaigners

have been expressing concern
about the rise in vigilantism.

Of course they have.

Lynching of alleged looters
and rising...

- So, I just apologised to Fraser.
- Listen.

...are you not worried about mob rule?

I am more worried about dangerous
foreign criminals roaming around,

attacking young women.

And I have far greater trust
in people's justice

than in the bleatings
of the diversity lobby.

- But in the current climate...
- Particularly in the current climate.

That miserable bastard.

Just the message
we wanna be putting out

He knows we're stuck here.

He must be pissing himself laughing
while he stirs the pot.

- Fuck it.
- No!

- We're going.
- It's not safe.

I don't care.

Tell the Gold Commander to make
arrangements for a safe arrival

and to prepare some kind of PA system.

I cannot, will not let
that utter charlatan speak for us.

Well, I believe that is not
the right decision at the moment.

Fine, fine.

If anyone's gonna get torn to pieces,

it might as well be a politician.

Bring him out! Bring him out!
Bring him out!

So, while the cat's away...

The cat's right here.
It's the mice that have fucked off.

I heard your interview.
People's justice.

- That's not very subtle.
- Nor are my supporters.

Opening shots in a leadership challenge?

The advisers are having
some interesting chats in the bars.

Did you see Harry Rowntree's
threatened to stop the fuel deliveries?

Obviously, that would be disastrous

and I would suggest stringing him up
from a gibbet on the M1

for treachery.

Yeah, although it's win-win
for you, isn't it?

Ellie's just had her police interview.

- She definitely supplied the drugs.
- Of course she did.

And blamed a dead girl,
with her parents' support.

More debatable.

They might try and push
the Press Secretary under the bus.

That might work to our advantage.

If I know Peter Mott, he'll flip
rather than take the blame.

It has to be clear that the PM knew
what he was doing and okayed it.

Letting foreign rapists roam freely.

Failure at a time of national emergency.

Perverting the course of justice.

He's toast.

I'm sorry you had to come through
the kitchen area, sir, but...

It's where they shot Bobby Kennedy,
of course.

I didn't know that.

I really recommend you don't go
outside, Prime Minister,

the mood is very ugly.

It's why I have a security detail,
isn't it?

I don't think your security
detail fending off an angry mob

is quite the look we're aiming for
with this trip.

Get some shots on the wards
with the plane crash victims.

I wanna see the man
who was attacked first.

He's very poorly, sir.

I can take you to the crash victims.

We'll talk to the medics.

I'd like to introduce you
to my Silver Commander.

This is Assistant Chief
Constable Crawford.

- He's in giddy mode.
- I know. Don't let him go outside.

You think it's that easy?

Stop muttering, you two.
I have very good hearing.

When you want to.

You were a war reporter, Anna, for
God's sake, show a bit of backbone.

It's your backbone people
are concerned about.

Bulldog spirit.

Enough of that crap, Robert.

the security team are
taking a look outside

and if they say it isn't safe,
it isn't safe,

and you are not going outside, end of.

Did you just say, "End of"?

OK, yeah, but the point stands.

I mean it.

They're ready for us on the wards.

Mm-hm.

I wish you all the very, very best
for a speedy recovery.

Isabella's just round here, sir.

Isabella's just round here, sir.

Isabella. Are you up for a visit?

How are you feeling?

Better?

I understand
that Chief Constable Collier here

rescued you and your baby
from the wreckage.

Yes. Thank you.

The doctors tell me you will walk again.

- I think so.
- That's good.

- It's a no go.
- Thanks, Mike.

It's a definite no, thank God.

You came this far.

You didn't turn on your heel
or anything.

- Do you think that's how it'll look?
- Listen to them outside!

Bring him out!

Archie's going over the top soon.

That was just some preliminary shelling.

- Probably.
- I should sack him.

Not yet.

The doctors have said you can go up
to Kemal Hussain's bedside, sir,

but he won't be able to speak.

Oh, God.

Come on. This is still important.

All right. No press.

Bring him out!

I'm uh...

I'm so very sorry this happened.

I like your doll. Does she have a name?

Dolly.

My daughter called
her favourite doll John.

Could not talk her out of it.

They hurt my daddy.

Robert. No! No!

Get out of my way. Robert!

It's for your own security!

You have to let these people
do their job.

Robert!

Could you pl...

- I know you're angry...
- Yes, and when I'm very, very angry,

I become totally oblivious
to any other consideration.

- Yes, I do know that, but...
- No fucking buts.

We have to show our face
at times like this.

Get them off him! Get them off him!

Fuck off!

Give me the mike. Come on.

Give me the mike.

Please!

There are people inside that hospital
working around the clock

to try and resolve this situation.

Not politicians like me,

but people who do a hard job
for very little reward,

because they believe in public service.

Now, the man inside that hospital
is not the man you think it is.

His name is Kemal Hussain.

He has vitiligo,
and he is an innocent man.

Now, he also has a beautiful daughter,

who's just asked me,

why is her daddy lying in a hospital
bed with his head smashed in.

Cos he's a rapist!

Now, the people who did that
are not some kind of guardian angels,

they are lawless thugs,

and such crimes will not go unpunished

while I am still Prime Minister.

There is no justice
but the law in this country.

Yeah!

Now, at times like this...

If you're gonna throw things, please
maybe try and aim a little better.

At times like this, it is usual
to say, "I feel your pain."

Empathy, right?

All the best politicians
are meant to feel it, to show it.

Well, I don't feel your pain.

No, no, no. How can I?

I can only try and do
something about it.

Now, I can tell you that the
super-transformer has left Germany

and we are working day and night
to try and bring it to you.

And we will bring it to you.

I promise you that right here and now.

We will bring back power,
we will turn the lights on again.

Let this situation bring out
the best in us rather than the worst.

And to those who try to exploit
this situation for their own ends,

from the vigilantes,

to the charlatans
who try to make political capital

out of the suffering of others,

I say this.

There will be a reckoning.

I promise you,
we will turn the lights on again!

Thank you.

When? That's all we want to know.
When is this gonna be over?

Unfortunately, moving and installing
such massive equipment

is proving very difficult.

I'm sorry, but we are doing
our utmost to bring it to you.

At least you came, showed your face.

Thank you very, very much.
Thank you very much, indeed.

Thank you.

Thanks, everyone. Thank you.

- You should feel better.
- Thanks. Thank you.

- How are you feeling?
- Oh, it's... it's nothing.

It just grazed
the side of my head, really.

How many fingers am I holding up?

Friday?

You ready to go?

I've ordered a helicopter
to take you back to London.

Robert, it's not necessary.
It's a scratch.

Non-negotiable.

I want you checked out
in a properly-functioning hospital.

Is Sam home?

Yeah, but I'm borrowing
Madeleine Cook's flat,

she's in her constituency.

See you back in London.

- Chief Constable, thank you so much.
- Thank you.

Take care.

Were you referring to the Home Secretary
or Harry Rowntree out there?

I was referring to anyone who uses

this crisis for their own selfish ends.

Archie is Archie.

He shoots from the hip, straight
at his own foot most of the time.

- You can't sack him, can you?
- I've got bigger things to think of

than cabinet reshuffles today.
Thank you.

- Like your daughter's police interview?
- All right. That'll do.

Thank you very much, everybody.

I think there's enough lynch mobs
running around right now.

Perhaps we should let due process
take its course.

Real classy, Jane. Well done.

Goodnight, Dad.

The Prime Minister's Chief of Staff,
Anna Marshall,

has been discharged from hospital
after being hit by a stone

as Robert Sutherland addressed the crowd

at an emergency relief centre.

The large crowd amassed outside
the Royal Northumberland Hospital

following an attack on one of
its relief camp's residents,

Kemal Hussain.

The Prime Minister also stopped
at the M1 secure checkpoint,

where he met members
of the Local Resilience Forum

and British soldiers tasked with
manning the zonal divide.

Come away with me.

I have a house in the hills
outside Mostar.

I don't know if you've noticed, but...

There's no internet connection.

Only fig trees in the garden,

where you can sit and...
read books, drink wine.

I have children,
I have a job that I love.

I'm not that young girl
out of university chasing wars.

You are exactly the same to me.

Yeah, because I haven't had
the chance to become anything else.

Believe me, within a year you'd be
affectionately thumping my arse

and asking me to warm
the milk for your coffee.

How dare you!

I would never ask for milk in my coffee.

I need water, I need water!

Anna?