Dickensian (2015–2016): Season 1, Episode 18 - Episode #1.18 - full transcript

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

- (BOB WHISTLING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

It wasn't Bob, it was me.

(VOICE SHAKING)
I killed Marley. It was me!

(BOB WHISTLING)

Inspector Bucket.
To what do we owe this pleasure?

Hoping that it is a pleasure, of course,

you might have come to arrest me again.
(CHUCKLES)

Well, Bob...

Er, Inspector Bucket's come
to collect a pie.

I promised I'd hold one back
for him and Mrs Bucket's tea.



Er, speaking of which, erm,
(CLICKS TONGUE)

Silas picked me up some meat scraps.

You couldn't be a darling
and go and fetch them for me, could ya?

Ah, well. Almost got me coat off,
didn't I? (CHUCKLES)

Enjoy your pie, Inspector.

- (DOOR OPENS)
- (BOB WHISTLING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(SIGHS)

(EXHALES)

It might have been better
if he was here with you.

No.

Could I ask you to repeat
what you said to me, Mrs Cratchit?

(WHISPERS) I killed him.

On Christmas Eve, I killed Mr Marley.



(SOBS)

And your husband knows this?

Is party to it?

No! How could he?

Then I'm at something of a loss
to understand how this happened.

The circumstances.

(SNIFFLES)

Afternoon, Daisy. Silas in?

He's not, I'm afraid.

Oh. Only, uh, Emily asked me
to pick up some meat scraps?

I'll go have a look.
See if he's left a box.

Thanks.

You must be truthful.
It's the only way.

Christmas, it's...

It's a struggle
at the best of times, Inspector.

(STAMMERS) I'm not making an excuse,
it's just the way it is.

But we had, um,
Martha's wedding coming up.

When we got the Christmas pay packet,

Jacob Marley had docked Bob's wages.

And not for the first time, neither.

It's what he does, you see.

It's what they both do.

Scrooge and Marley.

They prey upon the likes of my Bob.

And they get away with it.

'Cause no one ever stands up to 'em.

Bob tried to put a brave face on it
like he always does, but...

He was such a worry.

I told him to speak to Mr Marley.

To tell him that it wasn't right.

It wasn't fair.

- Did you talk to him?
- I've got a job.

Many haven't. We must be grateful.

MARLEY: Back to work, Cratchit.

(SIGHS) I'd better get back.

Thanks for the pie.

Mr Marley.

Can I have a word with you, sir?

EMILY: I tried to make him understand
that we had children.

He couldn't keep doing this to us.

But, he wouldn't listen.

He said he wouldn't argue in the street.

And when I told him
that I insisted on being heard...

I have business at the dockside
this evening around 9:00 p.m.

Perhaps I can help you then.

BUCKET: You agreed to meet him?

EMILY: No, not really. He just...
He just told me where he'd be.

I suppose he thought, um...

I'd never walked down the docks
on me own at that time of night.

It was just his way
of trying to get rid of me.

But you went?

Christmas Eve.

(TAKES DEEP BREATH)

EMILY: I knew that Bob would be
going out around that time

like he always does.

Time for my Christmas Eve stroll.

The traders'll be long gone.

See if they've left any mistletoe.

- So I went.
- (OPENS DOOR)

And I...

I know that it wasn't a place
that I should be on me own.

Not at that time. So, I...

You didn't see the folly of going
to meet a man like Mr Jacob Marley

alone at night

in a place even police constables
avoid after dark?

No.

I've not had
much of an education, Inspector.

Not much of anything else in me life.

Up until the day
that I met Bob Cratchit,

neither had he.

But, together we built something here.

Something more than
bricks and pots and pans.

Something that, try as you might,
you couldn't put a price on.

Something worth fighting for.

So, yes, Inspector,
I was scared going out on me own.

But I was more frightened
of losing what we have.

DAISY: Nothing's laid out
and the larder's all locked up.

- Strange.
- I looked everywhere.

- Sorry.
- Never mind. It's not your fault.

I'll try again later.

Whist Bob was out collecting things
left behind at the market,

you walked down to the docks?

Yes.

Go on.

I'd... I'd been there a little while

and I started to worry about
Bob coming home

and finding me gone,
so I was about to go.

I heard footsteps.

He came out from the shadows.

I think he was shocked to see me there.

I think it amused him.

I... I talked to him.

I tried to explain about Martha,

stupid as I am,
I even thought he was listening.

But he... He wasn't.

He... He turned nasty.

He was saying
what he'd do to my children.

(SOBBING)

He was saying how he'd buy 'em off us

and sell 'em to the highest bidder.

I wasn't gonna put up with him
talking to me like that.

Mmm.

And then he... (SNIFFLES)

He turned on me.

Are you a goose?

Please, Mr Marley, don't... Don't...

- (WHIMPERS)
- (INDISTINCT)

He said if we needed money so bad,
how I could earn some.

I didn't know what to do.

He was so close.
He was breathing on me. (SNIFFLES)

His hands were everywhere.

I, I managed to...

I managed to push him off,
but he was coming back.

- MARLEY: Come on. Hold still.
- (DRESS RIPS)

I suddenly realised
how stupid I was even being there.

(SOBS)

I just wanted to go home.

(SOBBING)

I hit him as hard as I could.

(GRUNTS)

I just wanted to make him stop!

(SHUDDERS)

(SOBS) I didn't know
he was dead, Inspector.

I swear.

And I, I...

I heard voices, so I ran.

I ran all the way home.

Picked up the coal bucket
in the yard and... (SNIFFLES)

It was like nothing had happened.

It was like a bad dream.

The house was so warm

and the little ones were in bed.

And Bob back from the market
with a sprig of mistletoe.

(CHUCKLES)

How could I have just killed a man?

Yet that's exactly what you had done.

I didn't mean to.

Inspector, you have to believe that.

If the account you've given me
is accurate, then, yes.

I do believe that is the case.

But it's still murder.

(SOFTLY) Will I hang?

(SOBBING INCONSOLABLY)

- Bob.
- Yeah.

Uh, young Tim.

How is he managing with the crutch?

Very well, indeed.
Thank you for asking, Mr Venus.

I'll have trouble keeping up with him

once he gets up a head of steam.
(CHUCKLES)

You know, um, I can make adjustments.

You know,
extend it a little as he grows.

That's very kind of you.

Mmm. No problem.

- Just give me the word.
- Mmm.

Ah, ah! You know what?

I think I might have
something else for him.

Do you have time now?

- Uh, a little.
- Good! Come.

(DOOR OPENS)

- I'm sorry.
- Please, don't apologise.

(SIGHS) Quite a burden
you've been carrying.

When will you have to take me?

Can I at least
say goodbye to my family?

(JUG CLATTERS)

(SIGHS)

I have to confess, Mrs Cratchit, that

I am more than a little taken aback
by this sudden turn of events.

Part satisfied

to finally learn the truth

about how Jacob Marley was dispatched,

part at a loss as to how to proceed
with that information.

I don't understand.

I must ask you to wait here
while I collect my thoughts.

Assimilate them,
shape them into a course of action.

Can I trust you to remain in the house?

Yes.

If you are not here when I return,

I will notify every
police officer in London.

You will be apprehended,

and it will be the worse for you.

Where would I go?

(DOOR OPENS)

COMPEYSON: Havisham.

You don't look any more pleased
to see me than you did earlier.

Though she begged me not to,

I left the warmth of your sister's bed
to find you.

So you care for her dignity
no more than you do mine.

I care for myself, Arthur, as always.

Which is why I was little
shocked to discover

a clerk from the offices
of Jaggers and Tulkinghorn

has been making enquiries about me.

And you think that has
something to do with me.

- Has it?
- No.

Though I expected Jaggers
would do as much

the moment the marriage was announced.

And are you secretly hoping
he'll find something

to expose me for the liar
and charlatan I am?

Because if he digs deep enough,

he'll find you, too, won't he?

(KNOCKS ON DOOR)

EDWARD: Honoria.

May I come in?

How was your trip?

It went well enough.

I'm pleased.

- Frances told me...
- Do you mind if we don't discuss it?

No, of course.

As you wish.

Though you must feel
a weight has lifted.

I feel...

Nothing.

You've been given a fresh start.

- Wonderful future.
- It was a girl.

You have to put it
out of your mind, Honoria.

What's done is done.

Her name was Esther Frances.

You have a family.

Frances and I will care for you.

Perhaps we should consult the doctor.

And tell him what exactly?

(EXHALES)

Was your trip successful?

In part.

Sir Leicester holds much influence.

But there were those who sought
assurance of his continued involvement.

An assurance I couldn't give.

We should perhaps tell him
Honoria's back.

That she wishes to see him.

It may lift her spirits.

She may need a little more time.

Time in which our creditors may lose
their newfound confidence in me.

She should put this behind her, Frances.
Move forward.

You'll send word to Sir Leicester.

(CHAINS RATTLING)

Mr Manning.

Who are you?

My name is Bucket.

Inspector Bucket.

What business have you got with me?

Well, I understand you have confessed
to the murder of Mr Jacob Marley.

Mmm, no.

They wrote down the names.

I made my mark.

I killed that prostitute.

And that sailor.

Because he took my turn.

And she let him.

Jacob Marley was a gentleman
who was murdered at the docks

on Christmas Eve.

What about him?

You told Inspector Thompson

that it was you who beat him
to death with a cosh.

Well, I must have done.

You don't recall?

(CLICKS TONGUE AND INHALES)

I've beaten to death
a lot of men... with a cosh.

And some I was paid for.

And some was personal.

And Mr Marley?

(SIGHS) Listen, I've killed...

Three of them

what you would call "gentlemen".

And I took their wallets.

And I took their lives.

And I would take yours, too,
if that big lump wasn't behind you.

But as for their names...

I didn't ask.

(SNEERING)

(LAUGHS MANIACALLY)

I never asked them.

(BOB WHISTLING)

(DOOR OPENS)

Silas wasn't there.

I'll have to call back later.

- Oh.
- Sorry I took so long.

Got waylaid by Mr Venus. (CHUCKLES)

He, er, he gave me some seeds for Tim.

We, erm, we grow 'em indoors,

mix the leaves with vinegar.

Right.

I'll go and get some soil for
when they get back from Martha's.

Oh! Something smells nice. (SNIFFS)

- I thought I'd put a stew on.
- Oh, lovely.

(WHISTLING)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

Right, then. Cheerio.

Everything I could find, sir,
on Mr Compeyson.

(BELL TOLLING)

- Is this it?
- Yes, sir.

Look, er...

You did understand your task?

Yes, sir, but I could find
nothing untoward.

(MEN LAUGHING)

- Well?
- I did as you said, Mr Havisham.

Exactly as I said?

Anything that wasn't favourable
regarding Mr Compeyson has been lost.

You will not discuss this with anyone,
do you understand?

You have my word.

And the position we discussed
in your new company?

All in good time, Mr Lowten.

And back to your desk
before you're seen here.

So I had to remind him
whose damn pheasants they were.

The nerve of the man!

He won't make that mistake again.
(LAUGHS)

(MEN LAUGHING AND CHATTING)

SIR LEICESTER: Would you have done
no differently yourself

- if you'd been there, Barbary?
- EDWARD: Well, that remains to be seen.

Well, we must accept your kind
invitation to visit you at Chesney Wold.

SIR LEICESTER:
Yes, indeed. As soon as you're able.

I'll have Mrs Rouncewell
prepare the Green Room.

It looks out over the garden.

EDWARD: Who'd have thought it?

Frances, go and see
what's become of Honoria.

FRANCES: Of course.

EDWARD: You know, I don't think
I know that part of the world.

SIR LEICESTER: It's very lovely.

Sir Leicester's here.

I could tell him that you feel unwell.

Here she is. (CLEARS THROAT)

Good evening, Sir Leicester.

- You look sparkling as ever.
- (HONORIA CHUCKLES)

MR VENUS: And tell me, Inspector,
were we correct?

Is the killer a simple man with a family
pushed to breaking point?

Suffice to say,

that discovering their identity
has brought me no pleasure.

None at all.

- The killer pleads self-defence?
- They do.

You believe him?

Without question.

Which brings me to my quandary.

I think I would be correct in saying

that the identity
of the killer was uncovered

as a direct result of my investigation.

From the examination of the smallest
detail of the murder,

the physical evidence

and the questioning of witnesses,

I can therefore boast

that the new Detective

has been an unqualified success.

Which is what you had hoped for.

Yes, it was.

Yet in making that boast,

in declaring it with some relish

to Inspector Thompson,

I fear that justice

may well not be best served.

But what of the man
arrested by Thompson?

He confessed to the murder
of Jacob Marley, did he not?

The confession was a false one.

So he is innocent?

Of the murder of Jacob Marley, yes.

But he is far from innocent in every
other conceivable way.

He has the blood of at least
five others on his hands.

- So he deserves to hang.
- I believe so, yes.

So, were you to choose justice

over the future of the Detective,

no harm would be done.

A very great harm will be done,
Mr Venus.

The person who took the life
of Jacob Marley,

his murderer,

will walk free.

And you can't allow that to happen?

We have laws, Mr Venus.

Laws, so that a person's
guilt or innocence,

incarceration or liberty

is not at the whim of an individual.

It's not for the likes of me
to make such judgements.

It is for me to present the case
to the courts.

I am neither judge nor jury.

I'm simply an instrument of the law.

Sounds like you have found
the answer to your quandary, Mr Bucket.

I'm afraid I have, Mr Venus.

Though it will give me no satisfaction,

I must do what the law demands of me.

- Hold on. Let's make a little hole.
- TIM: Is there a plant inside the seed?

- Yeah, it is.
- TIM: How does it fit in there?

BOB: Oh, it's like,
when you were a baby,

and me and your mum,
we fed you, gave you milk to drink

and then you grew from this...

(WHISTLES)

...to this.

It's the same with these seeds.
We water them, keep them warm,

then they'll grow just like you did.

So I was a seed?

- (GIGGLES)
- Yeah, yeah, you were.

But you didn't put me in mud.

BOB: (CHUCKLES) No. No, you had a bed.

It's the same thing.
It's just a place to keep you warm.

BOB: And then when it grows up,
you mix it with vinegar

and make a magic potion
that makes you grow eight-feet tall

till you bump your head on the ceiling.

(KIDS CHUCKLE)

Will it, Mum?

Maybe ten feet. (CHUCKLES)

BOB: We'll have to fold you in half
just to get you through the doorway.

(CHILDREN LAUGH)

I'm just popping out
to see if Silas is back yet.

- I'll go, sweetheart.
- No, it's all right.

You stay and plant your seeds.
Won't be long.

(CHILDREN CHUCKLE)

Could I put the water on now?

BOB: All right, but do it really gently.

Don't want to drown it, do we?

- Bye.
- Yeah. Bye, love.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Leave me in peace.

I've done what you asked.
Now, leave me alone!

(KNOCKING CONTINUES)

Matthew? You're back!

Arthur.

How often I've wished you were here
and not in America.

Now I am.

But what brings you back so soon?

I have business here to attend to.

What kind of business?

Meriwether Compeyson.

(PEOPLE SHOUTING)

MAN: Yes, Inspector?

I have a prisoner.

- MAN: Roger!
- I'm coming.

Just a moment, Inspector.

(PEOPLE SHOUTING)

Go on, knock him!

Go home, Mrs Cratchit.

You're letting me go?

I don't understand.

A man will hang for the murder
of Jacob Marley.

And having looked into his eyes today
and seen the evil that dwells there,

I'm at peace with that.

Now I know I would never
have peace again

were I to send you to stand
beside him at the gallows.

(TAKES DEEP BREATH)

Go home to your family, Emily.

(GASPS)

Quickly.

Before my reason returns.

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

(SIGHS)

(DOOR OPENS)

Inspector.

I shall call on you tomorrow, Barbary.

As discussed.

I'll look forward to it, Sir Leicester.

(HORSE NICKERS)

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(CHILDREN LAUGHING)

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)