Houdini and Doyle (2016): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Monsters of Nethermoor - full transcript

Do you know what
I'd love to do now?

You're drunk.

But seriously, Danny, you know what
I love most about being out here?

We can forget the rest of the world.

All our problems.

And that's what I love about you...

...that you can do that.

I'm sorry... for so many things.

You both deserve a better life.

Maybe we should move out of
Nethermoor before the baby comes.

Make a fresh start.



This is my home.

This is our home.

Danny, look.

It's a shooting star.

We should make a wish.

I'm about to get mine.

Stop it, Daniel.

That's not a shooting star.

Stay here!

What is it?

Danny!

Danny!

Rosie, run!

Watch out!



Danny! Danny, help!

- Rosie, get up!
- Ah, Danny!

- Rosie! Leave her alone!
- Danny!

Rosie! Rosie!

Get off her! Rosie!

- Danny!
- Rosie!

Danny!

Come on. Come on, Lexie.

Lexie. Get up. Go!

What the devil?

Are you all right?

Rosie...

Where's Rosie?

Rosie!

Rosie! Rosie!

Hey, I got a guy looking into
Penelope Graves.

Course you have.

Don't give me that.

You're so intrigued with
this stupid Martian sighting

you'll take a six-hour train ride
to check it out.

You'll make the same
journey to prove me wrong.

But you find... you find out that
Adelaide is using an alias,

lying to us and the rest of the world,

and you act like you
couldn't care less.

What you imagine to be indifference

is actually respect for
Constable Stratton's privacy.

She marries a successful businessman,
two years later he's dead,

she's changed her name, working
as a cop. It's some sort of scandal.

I don't know if it's
financial, criminal or sexual.

No prizes for guessing
which you're hoping for.

Is there a prize for guessing
why you're afraid to know?

I'm sure she'll confide in us

if and when we've earned her trust.

If she doesn't trust us by now,
should we be trusting her?

We should be in Nethermoor shortly.

Have I interrupted something?

We were discussing the cricket.

I didn't know you were a fan.
It was a one-sided discussion.

- Looking for something?
- Yes. The key to my satchel.

I seem to have misplaced it.

Penny?

For the lock.
It's a pretty simple lock.

More of a clasp, really.

I need to learn that trick.
Happy to share.

No secrets between friends, right?

Why should we be out there
searching? He knows where she is.

It's nothing a good
hiding won't reveal.

You're searching because I'm
the only copper you've got.

I can't cover 1100 acres all by myself.

Rubbish.
- I can't.

Him and his kind, they're all t'same.

If I had my way, he'd have
been hung, drawn and quartered

the minute he got back here,

with all that nonsense about
monsters from the sky.

He's killed our Rosie!

Constable Booth?
Hope we're interrupting.

Who are you?

I'm Harry Houdini.
Pleasure to meet you.

These are my friends,

Dr Arthur Conan Doyle and
Constable Adelaide Stratton.

They've come from London to help us
get to the bottom of it.

This is Jim Gorton, the
uncle of the missing woman.

They have lady coppers
in London now, do they?

Fortunately, yes.

This must be a very
difficult time for you,

but I assure you we're going to do
everything we can to find your niece.

You've brung in outsiders, some woman,

doesn't know Rosie, doesn't care -

- I assure you I care.
- This isn't your problem.

- I assure you I care.
- Jim, don't make this worse.

Hey, Jim.

I'm guessing you like to drink.

Pint's on me.

Don't need handouts from you, Yank.

Booth, you've got a decision to
make. Whose side you're on.

This town...

...or are you with that
black bastard you're hiding, eh?

Welcome to Nethermoor !

When Inspector Merring said he was
sending his three leading experts

in the supernatural field, I didn't
realise he meant either of you.

Is everybody like Jim,
or do you have any humans ?

He's a hothead, but he's
upset about his niece.

And I have to admit, Daniel's tale
is pretty far-fetched.

And that's enough to
keep him locked up?

Yeah.

If I let him out, he's a dead man.

Daniel?

They were small, spindly things.

Skin you could almost see through.

Black eyes.

Hell of a story.

Indeed.

Would you mind?

He's a doctor.

And the spaceship?

You don't believe me.

All sorts of people saw it.

A few people saw strange lights.
No-one saw a spaceship.

Why do you think they take
Rosie and left you behind?

I'd like to see you fight them off.

Daniel, is there anything
else you can tell us?

The smallest detail that can
help corroborate your story?

I've tried, I've tried,
but there's holes.

Pieces missing.

Please, you've got to believe me.

You've got get me out of here.

Help me find my Rosie
before the baby comes.

One thing's for certain.

He's lying.

What?

Why don't you believe him?
Because he's black?

I don't believe him because
he's an alcoholic.

He has Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.

An encephalopathy
associated with alcoholism.

He's been in a cell for the last
two days with no access to alcohol.

- It's a chronic condition. He has
all the symptoms: droopy eyelids,

elevated pulse, ataxia,
nystagmus, rocking back and forth

and most significantly of all,
he's prone to confabulations.

He lies.

All of those symptoms, except for
the last one, are consistent

with a man whose wife
was attacked before his eyes.

- And the cuts on his arm -
- Are perfectly consistent with a man

who attacked his wife
while she fought back.

You think he killed his pregnant wife?

And then what?

- He buried her body?
- Or she just ran away.

Why make up a story no-one is going
to believe?

It's perfectly possible he doesn't
remember anything at all.

His mind fills in the gaps
with this farcical story.

I believe him.

You believe in Martians?

There's plenty of good
science to back it up.

We know there are canals on Mars.
Where there's water, there's life.

Not an hour ago, on the train, you
were mocking my credulity.

I was unconvinced. Now, I've seen
the eyewitness and he convinced me.

You're being deliberately contrary.

You can see I'm not buying his
story, so you're pretending you do.

But a woman is missing.

God knows what's happened to her.
This is no joking matter.

Who's joking? We find these
creatures, we find Rosie.

How exactly do you plan to do that?

Now what do you see?

The light, glowing, over the hill.

What do you hear?

Just my footfalls.

I smell flowers.

Roses?

Lords and ladies.

That was in report

When you come over the top of
the hill, what do you see?

Something burning, but not on fire.

Glowing, like an ember.

Rosie. Rosie!

You're perfectly safe, Daniel.
What's happening to Rosie?

She's fallen. They're all over her.

One of them's grabbing me. There's
something around its neck.

A medallion?

A strange shape on it.
Can you draw it for me?

People don't lie under hypnosis.

Unless they've already formed a memory,

an altered reality within
their conscious mind.

This alone was worth the trip.

Is that it?

Someone obviously forgot to tell the
welcoming committee we were coming.

Daniel and Rosie were
here when he claims to

have seen the mysterious
object in the sky.

But Daniel was found here.

The search party checked everywhere
in between but didn't find anything.

Finding nothing doesn't mean
there's nothing to be found.

- That doesn't mean there's nothing to.
- Apparently some sheep were stolen.

Think the Martians
abducted them too ?

Do they communicate telepathically
or do they speak Martianese?

I'm sorry. So sorry.

- This isn't tea.
- It's saloop.

A popular drink round these parts.

Not for t'London palate, though.

They're not necessarily Martians.

There are seven other
planets in the universe.

So, what do you propose we call
them?I dunno.

Aliens? Isn't that the name you give
to anyone who's different?

It is hard to reconcile that you
really believe in all this.

Why don't you?

Because I think man is the ultimate
expression of God's creation.

And I'm including women in that.
I agree with the women part,

but that doesn't preclude the
possibility of life on other planets.

The only aliens Daniel saw are ones
he created in his intoxicated state.

Why are you so determined on
giving him a drinking problem?

Daniel Berry likes his drink.
No-one knows better than me.

Got a nasty temper on him an' ll.
I bet he's shiftless and lazy too.

Now that you mention it - - Saloop.

It's made from the roots
of orchids, isn't it?

Made this batch with the last lot
of cuckoopint I could find.

Picked the flowers a few days ago.

Cuckoopint, also known
as lords and ladies.

Daniel recalled the scent under
hypnosis. Can you tell me where?

The flowers should be
somewhere near here.

Nice to see you out of uniform.

That colour suits you.

Thank you.

I never believed a woman in
mourning had to wear black.

It's been nearly two years.

Was it sudden?

Very. Heart attack.

I'm sorry.

It must be very difficult.

Single woman...

Does Scotland Yard pay your
expenses while you're up here?

Scotland Yard doesn't pay for much.

Luckily, I didn't become a
police officer for the money.

Winning her trust? Au contraire.

She just told me that her
husband died of a heart attack.

- But she was lying.
- How on earth can you know that?

Her breathing changed,
she tensed slightly.

I used to be a pretty good cold reader.

So, you've ruled out heart attack.

I've ruled out a lot more than that.

She's not just going to substitute one
mundane cause of death for another.

Which means it wasn't natural causes?

And as to the nature of the scandal,

I've ruled out financial, which
leaves criminal and hmm-hmm-hmm.

Over here!

Ah!

Lords and ladies.

According to Daniel's statement,

the landing site was
at the foot of a hill.

Notice the size and shape of the area?

Looks like the landing site of some
kind of alien craft to me.

Here's your 'alien craft'.

It's a meteorite.

That caused this?

And the lights?

It would've been much bigger as it
streaked through the atmosphere,

burning like a torch.

The circle is the impact site.

Spectacular.

But all perfectly natural.

Look at this.

That's it.

That's what I saw.

Have you found Rosie?

We'll keep looking.

- You believe me now though, right?
- This medallion's made of lead.

Hardly evidence of an other-worldly
origin.

If there's water elsewhere
in the universe,

isn't it possible there's lead too?

I'm being logical.

- You have to let me go!
- I can't.

I have to find Rosie!

- You're not going anywhere.
- Let me out!

The innkeeper told us
Daniel has a temper on him.

He's locked up while
his wife is missing!

The innkeeper's right.

Daniel has had one or two run-ins,
after he's had a snoutful.

I'm guessing everyone in this town has.

You think this one's guilty because
of the colour of his skin.

You think he's innocent
for the same reason.

When a woman goes missing, it's
reasonable to consider the husband.

The bigger issue is, seems we were
searching in the wrong place

and unfortunately, it's getting a
bit late for a search party.

It's probably best to
leave it till morning.

If you're right, we're
looking for a body.

We don't want to miss any clues.

And if you're right, she may well
be several million miles from here.

Martha Stiles.

She reported seeing something on the
morning after Rosie's disappearance,

a 'strange creature'.

A lovely lady, lives
on the edge of town,

but there's a reason why
everyone calls her Mad Martha.

- Martha, we wanted to ask you about -
- Where are you from?

US of A, ma'am.

We believe you had a sighting the
morning after -

- You want to ask about the kobolds.

Originally, your people
where are they from?

You have a different colouring.

I was born in Budapest, but we moved
to America when I was four.

Did you say 'kobolds'?

Goblins, sprites.

Houdini?

What kind of a name is that?

A stage name. I was born Erich Weiss.

A Jew.

You must try my knedle.

You make knedle?

- What's knedlay?
- Knedle.

Perfect.

My family are Slavs.

My name is actually Marta, not Martha.

The English have a way of
diluting your culture.

- Can you describe
the 'kobolds' for us?

Your family escaped the pogrom too?

My family came here from Russia.

I was four, just like you.

- It's a hell of a place to come.
- This was a rich mining town.

A magnet for people
from all over Europe

looking for jobs and a fresh start.

The kobolds, are they tall? Short?
Furry?

But we faced a pogrom here too.

When the mines closed, the
villagers drove everyone out.

When the mines closed, There
was a lot of violence.

People were killed - stoned to death.

It was like Russia again.

You survived.

Somehow.

I'm sure you're not a
stranger to prejudice.

Mrs Stiles, what exactly
do the kobolds look like?

Gentle little creatures
with the fairest skin.

Pendants round their neck.

They steal things.

Clothes from the washing line.

Food from the pantry.

But they always leave a
little gift in return.

My mother used to say it
was good luck to see one.

I've got everything written down here.

Just because she's seen them more
than once doesn't mean she's crazy.

It could mean that
they've been here before.

Ah! So, you believe
in goblins now too?

I'm suggesting goblins are her way of
interpreting visitors from outer space.

Why would they keep coming back to
Nethermoor? For the hospitality ?

Here he is reaching leg.
Maybe you're right.

Maybe they don't have
lead on their planet

and they've come here to mine it.

There's nothing like a lead spacecraft.

Aliens have been coming here
for thousands of years,

according to the Bible.

That would be The Book of Venusians?

Ezekiel. - Mm. Those were angels.

You call them angels. Martha calls
them kobolds.

HG Wells called them Martians.
What if they're all the same thing?

- Oh. We need three rooms.
- I've only got two.

- Looks like we'll just have to share.
- No.

I want to know why you're
protecting that bloody darkie.

It's bad enough he's got
Booth pandering to him

without you lot coming down
here, giving us what's what.

Maybe you should leave.

You telling me to leave?

Go on, Jimmy! Give it to him!

That's it!

You poncing sheeny.

You wanna hit me?

Harry...

Go ahead. Right in the gut.

Houdini!

Just remember, I get the next punch.

If there is one.

- Harry?
- Are you all right?

My turn.

- Harry!
- Harry!

Houdini! That's enough!

Jimmy?

Bouquet of parsley, September '71.

Rabbit, February '88.

Bracelet, April '96.

Gifts from the kobolds.

Lots of them, all faithfully
recorded by Mad Martha.

Oh, look, here's a message from them.

Oh, my mistake.

It's a recipe for knedle
in Latvian or something.

Maybe that's why they're occupying
Earth, for our plum dumplings !

Clearly, only a brainless bigot
can get a rise out of you.

I'm doing my exercises, all right?

Something you might want to think
about at some point in your life.

I won Man of the Match at Lords,
Saturday last, thank you.

Look, it's pretty clear
what's going on.

It must have been tough
for you and your family

having to deal with other people's
blind spots and prejudices.

What people call me is
their problem, not mine.

The only person who can put
you in the gutter is you.

The point is, I
understand how you feel.

I don't think you do, Doctor Doyle.

I've experienced bigotry.

When I was 12, we had a black maid.

Wonderful woman. Ina.

One summer, my cousin
came for a fortnight.

He had an amazing pocket watch.

It was handed down from our
great-grandfather.

I couldn't resist it.

I stole it.

My father assumed it
was Ina and I let him.

He sacked her

and I'll never forget the look
she gave me when she left.

Not anger, just disappointment.

That's it?

Your experience of bigotry
is that you were a bigot?

That I learned a valuable
lesson about bigotry.

You learned that it was bad.
What a revelation !

Please don't tell me that's silk.

Says the man in the flannel nightshirt.

Don't you have a hat to match?
You know, with a little tassel?

Here, take a look at this.

Benjamin Graves, Adelaide's husband.

You stole this from her?I
understand photos of her husband.

Why all the pictures
of Nigel Pennington?

He was a friend of her husband's.

You remember the telegram we found at
Adelaide's house from Pennington?

It said 'You were wrong about me?'
I think they were having an affair.

And Pennington killed her husband to
get him out of the way.

- That's George Ives.
- Who's George Ives?

He's a founding member of
the Order of Chaeronea.

It's a not-so secret society for
gentlemen with a certain preference.

Let's just say he invited
Oscar Wilde to join.

So maybe it wasn't Adelaide who was
having the affair with Pennington.

Maybe Pennington killed him
over a lover's quarrel.

Or maybe Graves was
threatening to expose him.

Or maybe Graves was threatening to
Either way, it'd be a scandal.

A sexual one.

That's why she changed her name.

Must have been devastating for her.

Just the thought of two
men sleeping together...

Shove over, Man of the Match.

Ah-ah-ah!

You wanna take that outside?

I saw your light on. Are you all right?

I couldn't sleep.

How's Houdini?

I think this is turning out to be a
very personal case for him.

I'm sure that's true.

But he's been acting odd ever
since the train journey.

You wouldn't happen to know why?

I just hope you'd ask me if there
was something you wanted to know.

Absolutely.

Good night.

Hey.

Where's Doyle?

Wasn't he your bedfellow last night?

Not when I woke up.

I'm sure he's just gone for a walk.

How's your eye?

It's fine.

I'm sorry about last night.

The whole thing kinda got away from me.

Believe it or not, I understand.

I believe it.

You know, the first time I
ever had cuffs put on me,

I was nine years old.

My mother sent me out for
vegetables with my father.

When we got to the store, the
storekeeper refused to serve him.

Didn't serve 'our kind'.

My father just turned and walked away.

So I told the guy

our money's good as anybody's

and if he couldn't give us what we
needed

we'd just take it.

And did you?

I tried.

He called the cops.

My father...

he pleaded with this
policeman to let me go...

...that I was a child, that I didn't
know wrong from right.

They let me go.

When I got home, my mother said to me,

'Ehrie, don't ever let
anyone put you in chains'.

And I never have, except
of my own choosing.

That night I went back, I put
a brick through the window,

and took all the
vegetables I could carry.

I'll go find Doyle.

We should start our search for Rosie.

Doyle?

Doyle?

Doyle!

Doyle! Doyle!

Hey! Hey! What happened?
Come on.

What are you doing all the
way out here in your...?

Come on, get up.

I saw one.

White skin, dark eyes.

OK. OK, let's get you warmed up,
or at least dressed.

The same creatures that Daniel saw?

Maybe you have Rimsky-Korsakoff
syndrome?

Your eyelids are droopy
and all that other stuff.

They must have used
some sort of substance.

They must have used some sort of
I have a bad taste in my mouth.

You think they drugged you?

That, or I donated my clothes

to the Salvation Army
in the middle of the night !

Oh, good, your sarcasm's back.

If the aliens are still here, then
we have a chance at finding Rosie.

The curious thing is they
left me exactly where I was,

but they moved Daniel to
a different location. Why?

That first location must be the key.

They don't want anyone
to know they're here.

They must have moved Daniel

because they don't want their
hiding place to be discovered.

I'll check on Booth. He should have
his search party together by now.

We should get a head start.

If I were an alien, where would I hide?

Maybe they'll show us.

- Birds?
- Bats.

Where there's bats, there's caves.

Wow.

Nice, huh? They call it a flashlight.
Got it in the States.

I've been an idiot.

Deafening silence.

My prejudices blinded me.

When Daniel gave his meandering
account of monsters and whatnot,

all I could think of was my father

and his own drunk,
nonsensical ramblings.

'Insensibly one begins to
twist facts to suit theories,

instead of theories to suit facts.'

Wait, you're quoting... me.

That was you?

Somebody's been here.

And you leapt to Daniel's side

because of your own prejudices,
in favour of the underdog.

It's important, isn't it, that
I'm just as wrong as you?

No, that you're just as honest as me.

How about this? I actually enjoyed
being the believer.

Accepting everything unquestioningly.
It's like a vacation.

And I enjoyed playing the
cynic, gainsaying everything

and stooping to ad hominem arguments.

It was refreshingly unimaginative.

More bats.

What do you think you're doing, Jim?

We heard one of their lot seen
the monster what took Rosie.

We need volunteers to search
for her, not an angry mob.

We'll search for her all right.

What the hell is he doing out?

He's been telling the truth, which
means he can help us find Rosie.

Not now, Jim.

Your pregnant niece is out there.
Are we going to look for her?

Or am I going to have to render you
unconscious and lock you up first?

Not that I want to throw
you off your game,

but we're in a bit of a pickle here.

Can you work any faster?

My escapes are the result
of extensive preparation.

What kind of aliens use rope anyhow?

The same kind that use oil lamps.

What did they build their spacecraft
out of? Bamboo and twine ?

By 'extensive preparation' did
you mean 'broken oil lamp'?

Ha-ha-ha! Any other jokes you wanna
make before you cut me free?

We've got time, right ?

I think I found your trousers.

Nightshade, henbane, English mandrake.

This must be what they used
to knock me out.

It would explain some of the
symptoms Daniel and I experienced.

This is Cyrillic script.

I think that's a date.

52...

1849.

That's when the mines closed

and the villagers drove
the migrants out.

These aren't aliens...

...they're humans.

And they've been down here
for over half a century.

Looks like there were two families who
came to live down here and never left.

It defies belief.

Not at all. Our ancestors
were cave dwellers._

It's how they protected themselves
from the dangers outside.

It's better than
being stoned to death.

When the meteorite crashed, they
must have come up to investigate.

That's when they came across Daniel
and Rosie.

Houdini...

I apologise for the bonds.

We were preparing to escape
when we came across you.

We needed to delay.

We still do.

Watch yourself.

I'm watching you.

- What did you do with Rosie?
- We helped her.

When they discovered us,
so close to our home,

we didn't know what to do.

She fell and hurt her head.

She was with child.

We couldn't leave her, so
we carried her back here.

She's here?

Resting.

She's fine.

My grandfather was a doctor.
He taught me much.

You used a compound to
knock me unconscious.

We do what we have to do to survive,

just as we have to steal food
and clothes from time to time

but we never intend to harm.

You must have known when you took
Rosie you would be discovered.

People would look for her.

We were waiting till
she was well enough

but now we must leave immediately.

You need to come to the surface.

We were born down here.

We only go out at night when it's safe.

We wouldn't survive in your world.

- It's your world too.
- You need sunlight.

You have rickets, and
probably lead poisoning.

You're not safe down here.

We're not safe up there.
They will kill us.

I remember the stories my father told.

These people are monsters.

Cruel.

Murderous.

Our families were tired of running.

You're still running.

Hiding is no different.

You have to fight for
your place in this world.

Let us help you.

It will take your eyes a while
to adjust to the light.

Welcome home.

There they are!

They're the monsters who took Rosie.

- Where is she?
- They're not monsters, they're people.

- They look like monsters to me.
- They attacked us.

- Damn you!
- No!

Rosie!

I thought I'd lost you.

And you...

- They saved my life.
- This lot?

Then the baby came.

Milov helped me deliver.

Thank you.

I won't let them hurt you.
Neither will I.

They're people too, Uncle
Jim, just like you and me.

Just like your new nephew.

You speak to your buddy
at the Home Office?

They've assured me Milov and his family are being well
looked after in the hospital.

Hey! A telegram came for you at the
station.

I checked in on Martha.

She wanted to give you
these for the journey.

Well, safe home.

Knedle?

Just enough for me.

You took something from me.

From my satchel.

And then you put it back.

I hope you found what
you were looking for.

Not quite.

Why'd you change your name?

I just thought 'Adelaide'
had a nice ring to it.

I think... your husband was having an
affair with Nigel Pennington.

What? You thought my husband was...

We saw him in a photo with George Ives.

George Ives was my husband's cousin.

- Why did your husband kill himself?
- Houdini, really!

You don't wanna hear, cover your ears.

I had someone dig up
the coroner's report.

It was ruled a suicide.

Well, you really know
nothing about my husband.

Which makes me objective. - Houdini?

He would never take his own life.

Look, I know it must've been -
- I believe he was murdered.

Look.

Nigel Pennington is dead.

Adelaide, what's going on?

I-I don't know...

...but I think my life might be in
danger.