Penny Dreadful (2014–2016): Season 1, Episode 7 - Possession - full transcript

NARRATOR:
Previously on Penny Dreadful:

There are tremors around us.

Hidden music. Some might be
more attuned to them than others.

What do those people do,

those who have been chosen?

LYLE:
Amunet and Amun-Ra.

If they ever came together, Amunet
would become the mother of evil.

You are not Sir Malcolm. Serpent.

Deceiver, Prince of Darkness,
devil of the pit.

You've always been drawn
to the dark whisper.

There are things within us
that can never be unleashed.



BRONA: Where have you been all night?
ETHAN: I went out with Mr. Gray.

BRONA:
He's a devil, that one.

The medal around my neck.
Would you wear it for me?

No more let life divide
What Death can join together

You're pretty goddamn sure
you know what's going on.

There are things you can't control.

At the end of the day, the only thing
we have is the people we trust.

And you trust her?
And you better start doing the same,

or get ready to lose a lot of battles.

Vanessa, I have a lot to tell you.
I haven't been honest with you about--

To be beautiful is to be almost dead,
isn't it?

Hm.

The lassitude of the perfect woman,

the languid ease, the obeisance,



spirit-drained, anaemic,

pale as ivory, and weak as a kitten.

There's a brisk trade
for photographs of dead women.

Did you know that?

In certain quarters.

The corpses are improved
with cosmetics

and posed in postures
of abject surrender,

and photographed.

The men circulate the pictures
and pleasure themselves.

Mm. Such exquisiteness.

Vanessa?

Do you hear me?

Of course.

Last evening, you went into...

a spell, or a fit of a kind,
unlike previously.

Did I?

How arresting.

It was unnatural.

Do you not remember?

You've been asleep since.
Who dressed me?

Oh. Sembene and myself.

Did you make the tea, then?
What?

No. Sembene did.

And you dressed me?
Yes.

Like when I was a girl?

Oh, no. You didn't dress me as a girl.
How silly of me. Heh, heh.

You weren't there to dress me,
were you?

You were away
on some trek or other.

Who could keep them straight? We tried
to follow your progress on that map

in the solarium
with little red pins,

but you were in Terra incognita.

That's where you said
you were going.

What adventure in those words.

Do you feel you are there again,
Father'?

Mina?

Somewhat.

Fat mother wept, of course.

Is there anything more comical
than a fat woman weeping?

It never quite comes off.

You loathed her fatness.

Unlike those other women.

But fat Mother wept
because she missed you,

and feared for you.

Wept and wept and then she bit into
her pillow so we wouldn't hear her,

and then she turned to laudanum
to sleep at all.

[LAUGHING]

Poor fat thing. Ha, ha, ha.

[SIGHS]

[IN DEMONIC VOICE]
Tell me about the other women.

Not Mrs. Ives,

I know all about her. You might have
attended the funeral at least.

For decency's sake!

You stop this right now.

It's that face, is it?

The hard face for the niggers.

Scare them into obeying.

The porters and slaves.

But we were speaking of the women.

They were as follows:

The whores in Zanzibar
when you landed,

mostly North African,
so almost white.

Then the native women
along the way.

They enjoyed you pawing at them,
or you convinced yourself they did.

Made Peter fuck them, prove he's a man.
He didn't enjoy it, but he'd do it for you.

Except make a proper off spin bowler
like you wanted.

Oh, so on you went,
tribe to tribe,

father and son,
fucking the Maasai,

the Mamohela, the Bangweulu,
the Bantu, the Burundi.

[GROWLING]

[BOTH GRUNT]

Honestly,
I'm sorry they've troubled you.

I'm well again.
Where did you receive

your medical degree, Dr. Ives?

Would you excuse us?

Go on, Sir Malcolm.

He fears for my modesty, I think.

May I make a discreet
examination?

Ah. Discretion always.

What happened to your lip?

Sembene thought it necessary
to sedate me.

You have a steady pulse.

Yes. I believe I'm still alive.

Would you come into the light
for me?

And lockup.

To the left.

To the right.

I fear I'm not looking my best.
Nonsense.

Your visual responses
are perfectly adequate.

High praise.
No wonder you're not married.

May I listen to your heart?

Such as it is.

It's cold.
Sorry. I always forget that

with the living.

Deep breaths.

What happened downstairs?

I couldn't rightly say.

Then wrongly say.

I don't remember.

It's a shambles.

Is it?

There was violence.

There usually is.

When's that?

When I g0 away.

Where do you go?
I don't know.

Meaning you will soon
bring in an alienist.

No.

I don't favour that.

Nor I.

You must eat something.

I'm not hungry for soup.

I'm sure they will give you
anything you like.

Cornish game hen,

expertly carved by a beautiful boy
in a restaurant.

You have very clean hands.

Yes, I suppose so.

Do you value cleanliness?

I suppose I do.

That's why you're a virgin.

Or maybe not.
Who can tell about such things?

Such hidden things. Such secrets
we all have, don't we, doctor'?

There's a line from Shelley
that haunts me.

A single line from "Adonais."

I can't seem to get it out of my head.

No more let life divide
What Death can join together

[GASPING]

Your clean hands are trembling.
Are you afraid?

Not of you.
You think you know a greater demon?

[IN DEMONIC VOICE]
Tell me of him.

Or shall I tell you?

[IN NORMAL VOICE]
Is the examination over'!

It has not yet begun.

MALCOLM:
I've called Mr. Chandler to assist us.

It has happened before,
but never to this extent.

She fights it as best she can.

What brings on the fits?
I don't know.

Emotion of some kind.

What brought on this one?
I don't know.

I must ask you a difficult question.

Has she experienced
sexual trauma in her life?

I have no idea.
Is she intact?

I wouldn't have thought so.

I place no judgment on that.

I have no interest in your judgment.

Miss Ives is manifesting a deep
psychosexual responsiveness.

I would say the root of her condition
lies there, in guilt.

Something or someone
has triggered it.

Well, last night she went out
with a young man.

All right.

Imagine. She has an erotic encounter
with this man. Her first, we don't know.

And it evolves into some sort of
sexual extremity or perversity

that produces feelings
of guilt or shame.

That might stimulate a psychological
break or dissociation which--

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

Did you bring your weapons?

Yes.
Come.

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[VANESSA GROANING]

My God.

[GROANING]

[HOARSELY]
Mr. Chandler.

Forgive me, I'm not myself.

[GROANING]

My dear Miss Ives.

Can I help you in any way?

You have no idea
how I fight this thing,

but it is...

adamantine.

What thing?

This thing inside me.

[WHIMPERING]

[SNIFFLING]

No one has taken my hand
so sweetly for many years.

May I ask you a question,
Mr. Chandler?

Of course.

Did you fuck him
or did he fuck you?

The beautiful boy of our dreams,
the irresistible one.

You know who I mean.

He fucked you, didn't he?

[VANESSA GROANING]

Goddamn.

[IN DEMONIC VOICE]
Did you enjoy it?

I think we'll tell Brona.

Yeah.

We'll tell Brona.

Of course,

she already knows the boy.

Didn't she tell you?

Oh, I'm so sorry.
He fucked her while she bled.

I don't need to tell you
how much she enjoyed it.

Ask her to show you the pictures.

The sedative, doctor.

Ah. ls the child killer back for more?

No sons for you to kill here, Malcolm.
Help me.

Help me.
Keep your hands off me, virgin doctor.

Restrain her.

[VANESSA GROWLING]

Leave her. You imbeciles!

Leave her to me.

You men, you men, you men.
VICTOR: Hold her arm still.

[VANESSA SHOUTING
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[EXHALES]

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

What's wrong with her?
She's been possessed by the devil.

Oh, fuck me.
Or a devil. Who can say?

There is a pantheon,
I believe.

Well, you're a doctor. Do something.
This is a bit beyond my usual practise.

There is a larger plan at work here.

Something beyond even
the monstrousness we have witnessed.

I spoke to an Egyptologist
who suggested the creature we seek

might believe Miss Ives to be
an incarnation of the goddess Amunet.

Should that creature take hold of her
it would unleash untold horrors.

Chrissake, we gotta get her a priest.
Don't be insulting.

Might as well call a witch doctor,
or a gypsy woman.

Shut the fuck up.
No priest.

We cannot bring
anyone else into this.

So, what's the plan?

We keep her alive
while she fights this thing.

We show her she is not alone.

Remember what you said to me?

At the end of the day, the only thing
we really have is the people we trust?

She trusts us.

Will you stay and help us?

You know I will.

Did you understand the words
she said to me?

It was Arabic.
She said, "Let me die."

[VANESSA SHOUTING
INDISTINCTLY]

[SHOUTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[SIGHS]

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS]

Mr. Chandler.

Miss Ives.

You're awake.

So it would seem.

How long have I been asleep?

A week, more or less.

Though you do wake up and get
feisty every now and then.

I can only imagine.

Is there water?

I'm not going to hurt you.

It gets pretty rough sometimes.

Our friend, the doctor, thinks
we might have to restrain you

to keep you
from hurting yourself.

He would, wouldn't he?

You don't know what ifs like
having this thing inside me.

Always scratching.

That's an awful word,
but that's what it feels like.

An animal, scratching to get out.

Should we get you a priest?

Or someone to talk to?
Would that help?

I don't know.

I've fallen from the faith.

But, yes.

Yes.

Then we will.

I don't remember
what happens, really,

but some things, I do.

You've been kind.

everybody- Not like you-

I might have fallen in love with you.

You don't mind me saying that?

You still might.

Don't let me hurt anyone.

I won't.

They won't stop me.
They haven't the heart for it.

But you do.

When the moment comes,

look into my eyes,

and pull the trigger.

And send you to heaven?

If you believe in that.

Oh, I do.

But I believe in the other place more.

Of course,
I know that place pretty well.

You might say
it's where I was flung

when your fucking cunt of a God
cast me out.

You don't recognise your old friend,
Vanessa?

[GASPS]

[GASPS]

So it's this game again?
I thought you liked games.

You did with Mr. Gray.
Am I meant to give you a name again?

Is it Satan now?

Or do you fashion yourself Lucifer,
the fallen angel?

That's how you fashion me.
How pitiable you are.

Forever hiding your face
in the guise of others. Are you afraid?

Always.

But do you know what I fear
most of all'?

A life thwarted.

Greatness promised
but never achieved.

If your goal is to have me
surrender to you,

that day will never come.

I could kill you.

Choke out your life.

Seize up the heart.

[GRUNTING]

Then do it.

You can't resist me forever, darling.

But I can now.

Say I kill them downstairs.

Do it. My soul remains my own.

Tell me what you want of me right now.
No more evasions.

I want you to be the mother of evil.

I want you to rule the darkness
with me, at my side.

Looking over a black,
scorched, dead world,

where there is no more pain

because there are
no more hearts to feel.

We have eaten them all,
thee and me.

And together,
we will conquer God.

Topple him
from his bloody throne

and rule in his stead.

Everlasting.

Darkling...

listen.

Have you thought about my offer?
Coming to Africa?

Don't need the glory.
Don't underestimate

the value of prestige.

For chrissake,
what are you trying to prove?

That you're still young?

That you're still relevant?
Or are you just running away again?

Something you know intimately.
Don't.

Getting angry?
Fuck you.

That mysterious past of yours.
How far can you run?

I have a father, I don't need another.
You had a son, you killed him.

Am I missing anything?

Lord, are we ever
getting out of this house?

Do you know why
I must go to Africa?

I don't care.

Yes, you do.

I buried my son Peter on the shores
of Lake Tanganyika.

He was like a skeleton.

The insects had gotten to him.

I carried him to the grave
and put him in.

He weighed practically nothing.

And then I left.

Because I still had to survey
the northern end of the lake

to ascertain if any of the outlets
might be the source of the Nile.

It's a fever, this Nile quest,
as I told you.

I'm returning
to bring my son's body home.

At least that's what you tell yourself.
Yes, that's what I tell myself.

You're not that good.

I know.

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

[VANESSA GRUNTING]

[GRUNTING]

[SCREAMING]

MALCOLM:
Restrain her or she'll kill herself.

VANESSA: Don't let me hurt you!
Please, quickly!

[SCREAMING]

Morphine?

Yep.
Is it an addiction?

Yes.

Caused by what?

Pain.

My turn upstairs.

[SIGHS]

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

How is she?

Sleeping, I think.
Good.

The best thing.

And for you too.

So, what the hell do we do now?

I'm going to try a transfusion
in the morning, some vitamins,

essential proteins.

That'll keep her alive
to fight on, anyway.

Fight on.

But for all our efforts,
we may have to let her go.

Go where?

Do you believe in God?
No.

I Wish I did.

I believe in everything but God.

I have to tell you something.

I'm not sure
Sir Malcolm is being honest with us.

About what?
Miss Ives.

I know he doesn't want her to die, but
I'm not sure why he wants her to live.

He cares for her.

She's like a daughter.
No, she's not.

That's the problem.

You know the saddest thing
I ever saw?

When the Army pacifies a native tribe,
they take the children away.

They cut off their hair,

which is a source of
spiritual strength to them, you see.

They take away their medicine bags,
they give them new names.

John Smith, William Sherman.

Then they ship them east
to boarding school.

Awful.

That's not the worst.

Sometimes a John Smith
or William Sherman would escape

and make it back to their home tribe.

Well,
they've forgotten their language,

their stories.

They are unwelcome.

So, what do they do?

They don't fit in either world.

Like Miss Ives?

Like Miss Ives.

So, what do they do?

They roam...

and they die.

Oh, it's snowing.

Can I ask you a favour?

It's heavier than you thought.
You'll get used to that.

The trick is not pulling the barrel up
when aiming because of the weight.

Point the gun down.

Carefully pull back the hammer
with your other hand.

[GUNS COCKED]

So lethal.
You'll get used to that too.

Now, raise the gun
and point it down there.

Now, put your finger on
the trigger very gently,

like you're touching a lady's neck.

Well, like surgery, then.

Now, this is gonna be very loud.

When I tell you, I want you to take
an easy breath out and then an inhale.

At the top of the inhale, I want you
to gently squeeze the trigger.

Don't jerk it, just gently squeeze.

Easy exhale...

[EXHALES]

And inhale.

[INHALES]

Fire. All right.

Again?

Go crazy, Dr. F.

Take it easy, Annie Oakley.
Heh, heh.

You do it.
No, no, no.

Go on.
I was a professional sharpshooter--

You know you want to.

VICTOR:
Whoa!

What about a rifle?
Do you have a rifle?

Sir Malcolm is enquiring
about the noise.

Uh-oh' We're in trouble with Dad.
Heh, heh, heh.

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

You men, you men, you men!

Inject her!

[SOBBING]

[VANESSA CONTINUES SOBBING]

[VANESSA CONTINUES SOBBING]

[VANESSA CONTINUES SOBBING]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

This is good.

I picked up the rudiments of cooking
on the trail back home.

Always thought myself
a dab hand at the spices.

In America, yes?
New Mexico Territory mostly.

But all over, really.

California,
all the way to the Pacific.

When I first saw the ocean,
I thought it must be a lake.

Nothing could be so large.

Not even the Mountains
of the Moon.

So, what's your story?

I have no story.
Is that so?

Looking at you, here in London...

and I would think you have a story.

No.
I have a theory.

I think Sir Malcolm saved your life
and you owe him.

That's why you're here.

Or I saved his
and now he is my responsibility.

Guess it comes down
to much the same thing.

We all owe each other in the end.

Like her.

Like her.

You should call a priest.

Do you believe in God?

I believe in everything.

[WHEEZY BREATHING]

Vanessa, can you hear me?

Vanessa.

Vanessa, can you hear me?

Yes.

I know you're very tired,
I know you just want to sleep,

but I think you can help us.

You're now in a very special place.

Between our world and another.

Perhaps between
life and death itself.

As is our Mina.

You must be close to her.

Reach out to her.

Find her.

No. Don't.

You must. We might never
have this chance again.

All of this...

All of this, you wanted it.
No.

You allowed it to continue.

Please, just try.

[SOBBING]

How cruel you are.

[VANESSA SOBBING]

Find her.

ETHAN:
Get the fuck away from her.

[DOOR SLAMS]

Whatever game you think you're playing,
I've had enough. We need to end this.

Ethan, hold on.
We have to get her a priest, tonight.

Bring no one else in.
What might she do to them?

Like that?
You know she's not always like that.

She is dying. The battles over, we lost.
Or it won. Who gives a fuck?

It's time to do what she wants.
She wants to die.

Then let her.

You mean a priest for the last rites?
Yes.

Or for the ritual of exorcism?
Stop it.

She's a Catholic.
If she believes in it, it might help her.

Have you not a shred of decency left?
You know nothing.

This is what happens when you
murder your way across a continent.

ETHAN:
Stop it! Stop it!

You've got a girl dying in there.

Not some monster with fangs.

You want a daughter?
There she is.

Get the priest.

Sir Malcolm,
I swear to Christ,

if she's right,
if you let all this happen

so that you
could manipulate her,

I'll rip your throat out.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

MALCOLM:
Will you give me something?

What?
To stay awake.

This is a cocaine derivative.

They used to give it to me
as a child.

Did it work? ' had asthma.

Yes.

But it left a taste for narcotics.

The manipulation of the body
through science.

In Africa I was famous
for eschewing drugs.

Form of weakness, I thought.

My son died there
because we lost our medicine.

Or the porters ran off with it,
I don't remember.

God, I honestly don't remember.

I left him at base camp and went off.

When I returned he was dead.

He had asked me
to name a mountain after him.

The Murray Mountains in the Congo.

When the time came
to claim the range

and affix a proper English
name to it, I mean...

I wasn't thinking of him.

I named it for myself.

[SCOFFS]

No, doctor.

I haven't a shred of decency left.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

MATTHEWS:
Thank you.

Father Matthews,
Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

Doctor.
Father.

Thank you for coming.
It is a duty to which I am accustomed.

Where is the woman?
There's more we should tell you.

Come this way, please.
Sir Malcolm, with respect,

I need only know
if she's been through baptism

and is in good standing
with the holy Church of Rome.

And thereby hangs a tale.
It's rather more complicated than that.

We believe...

Have cause to believe

that she is being controlled
by another force,

a power beyond
our understanding.

It's our hope that you might be able
to make progress where we have failed.

You are talking
about the ritual of exorcism?

Yes.

It's forbidden by canon law

without express permission
from the Church of Rome.

It will not be forthcoming.
Meet her at least.

I can deliver extreme unction,
I can hear her confession

and I can administer the last rites.
More than that is impossible.

Give her the last rites and get the fuck
out of this house, you ridiculous man.

I will do my duty
and nothing more.

Come this way.

[VANESSA GROANING]

Do what you're here for.

Get him a chair.

Do you understand
my words?

[GROANING]

Are you a Roman Catholic?

Do you follow the teachings of Mother
Rome and her ministers on Earth?

What's her name?
Vanessa.

My name is Father Matthews.

Do you know why I'm here,
Vanessa?

You were baptised and confirmed
in the Church of Rome?

Are you prepared
to take extreme unction

and to make your confession?

I knew.

I knew a Matthew.

Dr. Christopher Matthew Banning.

He tortured me with water too.

I knew another Matthew
in the ancient days.

He was a tax collector.

He died near Hierapolis.

It was very hot and sunny.

I nailed him on the sticks
upside down

so he would come to me faster,
so he would see it.

[MATTHEW SCREAMING]

[VANESSA SCREAMING]

ETHAN:
Get him out!

Get him out!

Get him out!

Get him out!

VICTOR:
Ah!

[GUN COCKED]

Vanessa.

I know you're still there.

I'm not gonna leave you.

Vanessa.

Vanessa, please!

[SOBBING]

I beg you.

Now.

Please.

Please.

I beg you.

Do it.

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[BOTH SPEAKING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[DEMONIC VOICE SPEAKING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[DEMONIC VOICE SCREAMING]

[VANESSA & ETHAN CONTINUE
SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[DEMON SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

[DEMON SCREAMING]

[SILENCE]

[GASPING]

[MOANING]

WOMAN: There cannot be a happy end For
claw will slash and tooth will rend

There cannot be a happy end

For claw will slash and tooth will rend
MAN: Claw will slash and tooth will rend

There cannot be a happy end

For claw will slash
And tooth will rend

MAN & WOMAN:
There cannot be a happy end

WOMAN: For claw will siash
And tooth will rend

[WOMAN SCREAMING]

[GASPS]

You should be in bed.

I know where Mina is.