Damnation (2017–2018): Season 1, Episode 9 - Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground - full transcript

Previously on "Damnation"...

Hello, Connie, we're very
happy to welcome you here.

Melvin Stubbs, Tanner Phillips...

These bastards are
gonna shit their robes

once it gets out in the Labor Bulletin.

They bring in uniform
shipments from Woodbury County.

That's my father's company.

DL and I are going to Woodbury
to see what's going on.

Show me where that black horse
spreads her legs.

If your brother's doing
something he shouldn't,

I need to know.



Pa knows.

- I told him you were leaving.
- You told him?

What's going on here?

I'm tired of Uncle
Sherriff Don's shortcuts.

It's time for
old-fashioned law and order.

Two agitators for the price of one.

String them up.

See what you're making me do?

Please.

Let them go.

We were just packing up and leaving.

We're not putting up a fight here.

Shut your damn mouth, preacher.

This is between me and him.



I worked every day
to build you boys a life.

You think you just get to walk away

for the first piece of ass
to catch your eye?

I don't want the life you've built.

That's not your choice to make.

Seth, what is he saying?

Who is this man?

I'm his father.

- No!
- No, no, no!

Go on, girl.

One shot.

Cynthia...

just pull back the hammer,

take a breath, and pull the trigger.

I can't do it.

That's so-called Christians for you...

All talk and no action.

Give the boy some room.

I know what you're going
through right now, son.

I felt it when I lost your mother.

But in the end,

make you a stronger man.

Good! Get it out of your system!

Why, you ungrate...

Hell, son...

you're me all over again.

What the hell's going on?

Seth, what just happened?

Is she...

Cynthia's dead.

So is her father...

and Pa.

Everyone's dead because of you.

Go on.

Do it.

I got it coming.

Well, go on and do it!

Pa would.

We got to get you out of here.

The law'll think you killed everyone.

They'll lock you up
and throw away the key.

Always knew you Turners were trouble.

Up and killed seven different souls,

including a preacher...

and your own damn father.

No, no.

I didn't do this.

You're under arrest, son.

No, I...

No, you don't understand...

I swear to y'all I didn't do this.

I swear it wasn't me!

I didn't do this!

It wasn't me!

I didn't do this!

This so-called preacher
is nothing but an agitator

who uses religion to incite violence.

He's the reason
your grocery shelves are empty.

He's the reason
your children are going hungry.

He's the reason that we're
having to do this right now.

Tell them to end the strike,
and this all goes away.

Big talk from someone who's
got to hide behind a mask.

No!

No!

- Get off him.
- He's mine, boy.

Get Sam Jr. out of here!

- Come on, get in!
- Go!

Get 'em!

Get 'em!

Does your family know?

That this is what you do?

I was supposed to take over
the family business one day.

My father started

teaching me the ins and outs
when I was still a girl.

One day, the gals who worked for us

decided to unionize.

I thought it made all
the sense in the world.

Father didn't.

So he brought in strikebreakers

and... made me watch as those
bastards beat on my friends

until they were bloodied and broken.

So, yes, my family knows what I do.

They're the ones who put me on
this path in the first place.

Mm.

Do they know

about the pamphlets
you've been writing?

What makes you think I'm writing those?

You mean besides the Hopkins name?

Well... Mmhmm.

Hand-cranking pamphlets
is one thing, but, uh...

But our newspaper is how
we'll really spread the word.

Should we dig around
the county some more,

see what's going on?

We should get back to Holden.

I didn't leave Seth
on the best of terms.

Plus, we need to print
that next edition.

Now, once we print those Black
Legion names, all bets are off.

- Are you ready for that?
- Of course I am.

If Babbage gets wind,
you'll lose your job.

But I'll have my soul.

I can't get ahold of Raymond.

Those bastards somehow sprung
young Sam out of his cell.

God knows what else they're up to.

Oh, hell, they might even be raiding

one of your side businesses.

Don't let me keep you
from your priorities.

Maybe I'll finally learn
how to fend for myself.

Bess, it's not that simple.

Having a child
out of wedlock, a child of...

divergent heritage.

Well, I guess that's the price you pay

for knocking up a black whore.

What in God's name
are you talking about?

Oh, you know what I'm talking about.

No, I don't.

Before I escaped
that hellhole orphanage,

I snuck into the office...
I saw my file.

It turns out

my white father, Don Berryman...

He dumped me off...

accompanied by an anonymous Negro woman

in wanton dress.

Your grievances have been duly noted.

But for now...

Let's just focus
on getting you out of town.

You're finally cooling down.

Connie, someone's coming.

Sam!

Are you okay? Yeah.

I don't know how, but I'm okay.

Martha, have you heard from Amelia?

No.

What is he doing here?

You murdered my husband

and framed my son
for something he didn't do.

God may forgive you
for that, but I won't.

Martha.

Well...

I ain't asking for your forgiveness,

nor do I particularly want it.

But there are worse men
than me out there,

and they're looking for your son.

So maybe don't be so picky

on who you consider
good company, ma'am.

The strikebreaker's right.

They'll be coming here now...

all of them...

looking for all of us.

We best get prepared
to defend ourselves.

I'm not sure this is
what my employer had in mind.

What did your employer have in mind?

Saying, "Pretty please, don't
start a Commie revolution?"

You want civil stability?

Well, that takes muscle.

And lucky for you,

a hundred more men are headed to Holden

from other counties right now.

More men like yourself?

We got "legion" in the name
for a reason, Mr. Dyson.

Or did they not teach you that

in whatever... fancy
college you went to?

You were right all along, Melvin.

We need a change around here.

You remember that when you
cast your ballot tomorrow.

Vote for Stubbs, change your life.

I don't get it.

Why was our Pinkerton
shooting at your men?

Because that Pinkerton and
the preacher are in cahoots.

Probably have been this whole time.

Well, we'll root 'em out.

Start by cutting the phone lines.

Before you do...

Please connect me
to Martin Eggers Hyde, PhD.

I need to update him
on the situation in Holden.

Hey!

- Hey, hey, whoa, whoa.
- Slow down.

Where are you heading in such a hurry?

Heading out of town.

Clearly, you fellas
are running things now.

Yeah?

And who are you taking with you?

Well, if a man has his pooch
and his music collection,

he can start fresh just about anywhere.

Hey, they're piling up over here!

Let him through.

The moonshiner, too.

Come on, move up.

Move. Let's go.

I appreciate the help, Eddie.

Boss, I'll be inside if you need me.

Sheriff?

Oh, I forgot to mention...

I invited some friends over,

keep us company
until things settle down.

Raymond...

why are you hiding out here
with the girls?

I...

Oh, put your big-boy pants on, Raymond,

and tell your uncle what you've done.

Uncle Sheriff Don...

Mm-hmm?

I made a bad decision.

Mm-hmm.

Thank God Amelia's in Woodbury County.

If she wasn't...

Eh...

I'm sure your missus
can survive on her own.

Besides, lightning don't strike twice.

What happened back home with Cynthia...

You don't get to say her name.

You know...

you act like you're the only one

who lost something that day.

I lost everything.

And what did you lose?

A brother.

A future.

You're the one who squealed.

Yeah, and you're the one
who never told her

who you really were...

Cynthia Jo Rainey...

And what kind of danger she was in.

But, brother, I've reckoned with it.

I have paid for the sins of my past.

What about you, hmm?

Can you say the same?

Why are the farmers letting
grocery shipments through?

Let 'em through.

Come on, let 'em go.

It's not farmers.

What business you two have in town?

Just driving around
with my friend here.

Telling her about the novel
I'm writing,

You fellas fans of Willa Cather

or Sherwood Anderson?

Check the car.

I don't trust these two.

Well, look-it here.

How about that?

Looks like we just caught
ourselves a couple agitators.

I believe in small-town values...

Trust,

neighborliness,

and a little humility
before God Almighty.

And yet, I find my name

and my... My friends' names

being attached to this...
This Black Legion.

Is that the plan...

To publish wholesale lies
on the eve of the election?

If they're lies, then why did

those Black Legion goons
bring us to you?

Lady, I'm suspecting
no one's taught you

a woman's proper place.

Mr. Stubbs!

Amelia had nothing to do with this.

That notebook is mine,
so are the newspapers.

She had no idea.

Well, I'll be damned.

The twerp's a gentleman!

You so-called journalists
are all the same...

Born liars and a blight
on our democracy!

I tried talking reason.

But I guess reason just won't work.

Fellas!

Put them anywhere I don't
have to listen to them!

- Come on.
- There you go.

No sign of the cowboy
or his whore in town.

They're in thick with that
preacher and those farmers.

Probably all shacked up out
at the Riley's farm collective.

Not for long.

My God, I love this town.

But it's sure not the same one
we grew up in, is it?

It still can be.

As long as no one knows who we are,

we can do whatever it takes
to defend this place.

We're making an example
out of those farmers

so this don't happen again.

The Black Legion...

They burning barns
and killing livestock.

There must be hundreds of them.

They taking over this town.

Victor, you got some nerve
stepping on this farm

after breaking our strike
and getting Wendell killed.

I know.

But my family ain't done nothing wrong.

And none of us have much chance
if we don't got good weapons.

Where'd you get all those?

A man defends his country
in the Great War,

he's entitled to a few keepsakes.

He appears able-bodied.

We can use him...

and his arsenal.

The other women
and children are inside.

Go on.

Who is she?

Widow from Kentucky.

Kentucky must be its own place.

Hey, so when do you think

the Black Legion's gonna come for us?

Well, Melvin Stubbs is smart enough

to use the darkness to their advantage.

Melvin Stubbs?

He's the Black Legion's grandmaster,

and it sounds like
he's called in reinforcements.

Yeah, and if he
and his boys come back here

with a couple rusty pitchforks
and a flyswatter,

we'll be just fine.

Come on, let's go, y'all!

You seen that artillery gun, right?

Miss Widow Lady up there's
got the right idea.

Gonna need a lot more than this.

Well...

if nothing else, this should make

an interesting chapter
for your debut novel.

Chapters are a bit Victorian
for my taste.

They are?

I'm working on something more modern...

an impressionistic,
stream-of-consciousness,

coming-of-age bildungsroman

told from the point of view
of a small Iowa farm town.

Want to hear the working title?

Why not? I've got the time.

"God's Body."

DL Sullivan, I would love to read that.

Good...

because it's dedicated to you.

It is?

"For Amelia Davenport,

ingenium secreto."

"The secret genius"?

I may have written
a couple poems for you as well.

We have to maintain
the vehicle perimeter

for as long as we can.

All right, you and Victor...
You're gonna stay here,

guard the food stand.

You two... I want you over
at the south side of the barn,

plug those gaps, go!

And, you...

You coming up on the roof with me.

Let's go.

Are you and Martha ready to protect

the other women and children inside?

We've made our preparations.

I must admit, I'm a little perplexed

that you trust a man like that.

Amelia told me about her first husband

and the tragic fire in Marion County

set by a strikebreaker.

Such a horror.

Amelia told you about Sal and the fire?

I certainly hope you were able mete out

some retribution on that strikebreaker.

I never got the chance.

- What do you mean?
- Someone else got to him

before I could even
think about revenge.

You mean you didn't kill him?

No, I didn't.

It's almost dark. You best get ready.

Look!

Jesus.

Where the hell'd that come from?

Hey! Over there!

God, there must be a hundred of them.

Clever sons of bitches.

Now!

What's wrong, Mother?

It wasn't him.

The Preacher isn't the bad man.

There are too many bad men.

I can't stop them all.

What if I've been wrong...

About everything?

It's okay.

My daddy said we don't
always have to be right.

Your daddy...

I'd advise you to maintain your focus.

You and I can have
our little dance after...

If that's what you want.

Here we go, boys!

There's more.

Where are they coming from?

We will not stop until we've
destroyed all of your food

and darkened the soil
with your traitor blood!

Victor...

we got to fall back.

They're too close.

All right, cover me. I'm going down.

How do you know I won't just
shoot you while I'm at it?

I suppose I don't.

It's high time we talked about her.

About who?

You know.

Your mother's name is Pearl...

Louvin.

We met in a juke joint...

Outside Memphis, Tennessee.

Ah, I was already engaged at the time.

Uh, Edna... she came from money,
and I was a...

an ambitious young man...

who didn't, so...

it seemed like the smart play...

until I heard your mother's voice.

And, you know,
we tried to make it work.

When you were born, I...
I'd travel to see both of you.

Mm.

But a year and a half in,

it was clear how impossible it all was.

I was a...

married white man,

and your mother was...

Always...

on the road.

On the road for what?

She wasn't a prostitute, Bess.

Your mother is a singer.

Goes by Memphis Pearl.

When we brought you to the orphanage,

she just finished performing.

That's why she was in, uh...

"wanton dress."

For what it's worth...

It...

It broke both of our hearts
to leave you like that.

I know we didn't do right by you.

But you should know it was love.

It was love that brought you
into this world.

I'll leave you two alone, huh?

Go! Go! Get out of here!

It's that cowboy! Kill him!

Go, go, go!

Go! Get out of here!

Go!

Hey, they're burning the food!

Oh, shit.

Do you hear that?

All right, we're moving y'all.

What the hell?

You're gonna lead us out of here, okay?

Hey, hey, stop him!

Good Lord, DL, where did you
learn to shoot like that?

Annie Oakley and a
sharpshooting Argentinean dwarf

named Furious Joe
both took a liking to me.

Carnival life... It's a long story.

Follow me.

You two done gone and done it now.

Everyone inside!

Now!

Go!

We don't take out that machine gun,

we don't stand a chance.

I got something that will do it.

But I'm gonna need

a distraction to get close enough...

Something to draw
their fire away from me.

I'll distract them.

They're after me anyway.

No.

I'll do it.

Trust me.

I owe it to you.

Preston...

You do right by your family.

I'll do right by mine.

I'll get their attention.

We got them cornered!

Bust inside, take them out!

Victor, give me those.

Why?

If we survive all this,

Gayle and the kids are gonna need you.

He's going for the artillery gun!

Take him out!

Take him out. He's still coming!

You don't get to do that.

Run!

My whole life
I've been playing the angles,

as if I could outsmart my own life.

Look what its wrought...

for you, for this county.

What do you mean?

All I've been doing
is preparing this county

for industrialists to take it over.

After you gave me the Duvall name,

I had that young reporter
do some digging.

It turns out,
this is what the Duvalls do.

They hire muscle to clear
whatever land they want,

doesn't matter if it belongs
to a man of God or not.

A few years back,

this cowboy you're so fond of

killed a preacher and his daughter

in Colton Creek, Wyoming,
along with five others.

No, that wasn't Creeley. He was framed.

Not according to the Wyoming papers.

What is it?

I got to find Creeley.

Go, go!

- Get in!
- Let's go!

Get in the truck!

Come on, drive! Come on!

Let's go!

Seth.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa, whoa.

Ah.

DL.

What's it say?

They have Amelia.

If I don't hand myself over,
they say she's next.