Secret City (2016–2018): Season 2, Episode 1 - Episode #2.1 - full transcript

Robbie?

Have you done your homework?

Climate change activists
face the prospect of…

I can't breathe.

I need to get out!

Let me out!

Let me out!

I need out!

Let me out!

Everything all right back here?

Goodbye, Canberra.



Auf wiedersehen, adieu and fuck you.

- You're leaving?
- Yeah.

You knew that right, Min?

Didn't think you meant it.

I mean, there's just nothing here
for me anymore. I...

Who's going to hire an ex-con?

Maybe we should dive in, Harri.

- I thought you said you can't swim.
- I can't.

- Hey, Min.
- Yeah.

Let's get you home.

What's the point? I can't sleep anyway.

That's probably just 'cause
you miss the top bunk.

- Oh, yeah.
- And the concrete walls.

Shh.



Baby, I'll get it.

Hey. Mum. Is everything okay?

- Have you heard the news?
- No. What news?

There's been an explosion
here in Davoren Park.

- Karen, it's Pete Lambert's place.
- What?

The whole house went up.

- I've tried calling the neighbors.
- Oh, God.

I've left five messages.

I can't believe it.

I wish you were here.

Karen?

Indications at this stage
point to a gas-leak explosion.

Locals say the pipeline in the area
has been faulty for some time

and their pleas for help
have fallen on deaf ears.

Tell Lavelle to wait
until after the security briefings.

- He's just traveling now.
- Tony?

- Do I need to know what this is about?
- No.

- I'll have him wait in your office.
- No, Griff. Not my office.

Right.

Sorry I'm late, Prime Minister.

Catriona. Four people are dead.
What the hell happened?

We're still waiting on the site report.

The locals were saying
it was a gas explosion.

History of gas leaks in the street,
apparently.

The last AEMO report recommended
Davoren Park for urgent mains renewal.

But, typically, the Premier has cried poor
and demanded we pay for it.

- Treasury said no.
- Why'd it have to be Wakefield?

Now we'll never shut KK up. Let's move on
to the situation in Pakistan.

- Who's KK?
- The white knight. Karen Koutoufides.

The third K is silent.

You following this?
I'm getting flayed alive.

The house is in session.
What are you supposed to do?

Yeah, well, it's my electorate.
People expect me on the ground in crisis.

You have been riding the government
about these gas leaks since the campaign.

Uh, maybe we should go the back way.

Shoot. No, it's too late.

Here. Get this on ice.

Oh, KK, do you want the victim's names?

I know the victims' names, Dec.

Karen!

Today is a dark day.

What happened in Davoren Park
is a human tragedy

and now a 16-year-old boy,
Robbie Lambert, is an orphan.

I personally know the Lambert family.

Their youngest, Oscar,
went to the same school as my son.

We all grew up in the same community.

Hard-working families that have been
abandoned by this government...

many who are losing their jobs,
their homes and now their lives.

Oh. When is this prime minister
going to stand up for them?

Those are the questions
that I will continue to ask. Thank you.

It was an ambush. The safe house
was just inside the Pakistani border.

Is that Pashtun or Urdu?

- Afghan Pashtun, Minister.
- So it's Haqqani.

We've lost Markson!
Shit! Fall back! Fall back!

- Where's Markson? Where's Markson?
- I don't see him, sir!

Corporal Markson was captured.

Clemens is hit! Clemens is hit!
Fall back! Fall back!

Jim, where's Redback One now?

They're in the air now.
They left Bagram Airfield overnight.

They should be touching down in an hour.

- Wes, you'll be there?
- Yes, Prime Minister.

I don't envy you that.

I want a briefing after they land.

Have the Pakistani ambassador standing by.
Thank you.

Shall I join you?

Griff, leave us.

This will be a short meeting, Mr. Lavelle.

I know what you people are up to.

It ends now.

I'm afraid that's impossible, Minister.

You don't get to decide that, Mr. Lavelle.
I do.

Now, shut it down or I tell the PM.

Is there anything I can do?

No.

Toys now adorn this iconic
fencing, erected by authorities to...

- How's the hangover?
- It's fine.

- Can I make you some breakfast?
- No.

- You off to the police station?
- Yeah.

Nice talk, Harriet.

...the names of the four victims,

Peter Lambert. Suzie Lambert,
Chloe Lambert and Oscar Lambert.

A memorial service will be held
in the coming days.

- Don't say it.
- Fucking politicians, sir.

- I'm working on it.
- We go in as a patrol.

We come out as a patrol.
No man left behind.

- I'm handling it, Sullivan.
- How's Markson handling it?

These people haven't even heard
of the Geneva Convention.

How'd they find out about the safe house?
They didn't just get lucky.

I'm pulling you out of the debrief,
Lieutenant. I need you to go to Adelaide.

No uniform.

Adelaide?

She's gone AWOL.

- Get off me!
- You're making it worse.

Hey.

Calm down.

Oh, fuck.

Harriet Dunkley.

Wow, fancy meeting you here.

Oh, you got my last day of parole
marked on your calendar, do you?

It's a story, Harriet.
You of all people would understand that.

I'm curious, what does an ex-con
like you do now that you're free?

- I'm going to get the hell out of here.
- I don't buy it.

You're a political animal.
Canberra's your natural habitat.

There's nothing natural about it, Ludie.

- It's a fucking zoo and you know it.
- Yeah. Sure.

I'm offering you a chance
to poke a stick at the wildlife.

Regular panel gig, my show.

Tell your side of the story.
Set the record straight.

You skewer that arsehole, Bailey,
and you dance on Paxton's grave,

the whole bloody lot of them.

It's a well-paid gig. It's worth a lot
of money. You get your foot in the door.

I would just be live bait for your conga
line of demagogues and you know it.

Okay.

Can't blame a girl for trying.

You know we'll do a hatchet job
on you either way?

Harriet?

Mum, stop.

- Five more minutes.
- Okay.

That's it?

All done.

Good luck.

Hey, Mina.

- What happened?
- She's inside.

- I don’t like her in my house
- She is helping me, Sami.

She’s helping?

Min, this is classified. Who sent it?

Anonymous. Called themselves the Rabbit.

- I didn't know Bailey was Defense.
- She's been in three governments

and both houses of parliament
for 30 years.

She's like a cockroach.
She'd survive the apocalypse.

- Are these bits blocked out?
- Yeah, they're redacted.

Can we find out?

Well, freedom of information allows
exceptions for Defense

and National Security.

See what they called them? EKIA.

Enemy Killed In Action.

My father, my mother,
my husband, my little boy.

The location, the date, it's them,
Harri... and Bailey buried it.

- I should've been there.
- You were getting medicine for your boy.

I need to see Bailey.

- That's not a good idea.
- You know her. -

- You can get me to her.
- I have no accreditation.

- I'm persona non grata.
- I need this.

You got a little girl
and this whole new life.

Get me in a room with Bailey, Harri.

You owe me that.

Excuse me, Ambassador.

Lavatory attendant now, Harriet?

You're moving up in the world.

I thought you'd be prime minister
by the time I got out, Catriona.

Why would I accept a demotion?

Come on. Everybody knows you quit
the Senate to parachute

into the House of Reps for the
leadership spill and snare the top job.

Guess I'll just have to settle
for sweeping powers and a super-ministry.

I got a favor to ask you and I figure
it's the least you can do for me.

Harriet, I'm already doing
the least I can do for you.

All right.

Well, a skeleton's
fallen out of your closet.

2003, Iraq.

You shut down the ADF inquiry.
Special Forces planted drop weapons

on an innocent family
to make them look like insurgents.

There's a surviving member,
mother of a four-year-old boy...

and she'd like to meet with you.

I will not be threatened by a traitor
to her country or her criminal friend.

Traitor? I mean, that's the pot
calling the kettle Chinese, isn't it?

Save your breath, Harriet.

You're the little girl who cried wolf.
Nobody's listening.

Excuse me.
Can't keep the US Ambassador waiting.

Harriet.

- Griff.
- Today's the big day, huh?

Paid your debt to society, and all that?

- Yeah, I mean, something like that.
- Yeah. Well, you look good.

I think prison probably agrees with you.

Better get back to your table, Griff.
You know, drink your Kool-Aid.

- Sullivan.
- Lieutenant, this is Catriona Bailey.

- Are you at the site?
- Yes, Minister.

I want you to know that I appreciate
how difficult this must be for you,

but it's a matter of national security
that we contain this situation.

- I'm sure you understand.
- Yes, Minister.

So, I, um... I spoke to Bailey.

She... she won't do it.
She refused point blank.

- Did you tell her it was about Ar-Rutbah?
- Yeah, but she still won't do it.

She owes you.

Catriona Bailey
doesn't really work that way.

I know how Bailey works, Harri.
She covers up lies.

And this one,
she's going to fucking regret.

- You don't know who you're dealing with.
- Neither does she.

It won't bring them back.

I need this, Harri. Akram needs this.

Don't do anything stupid, Mina.

Hi, Ludie Sypek speaking.

Hi, it's, uh... it's Harriet Dunkley.
Listen, I'll do it.

Thought so.

- Yeah. On one condition.
- Mm-hm.

It's like a ghost town there now.

They bussed everyone out after
to make sure it's safe before we go back.

We didn't even get
a change of clothes.

They told us they'd cut off
the gas supply to the street.

Too little, too late.

- Lockwood.
- I think she was here.

Minister?

- Hi.
- Where's Conway?

- I've just been told he's been bumped.
- For who?

- Here we go. In ten.
- I don't know.

- Ask Ludie what the fuck's going on.
- Nine, eight, seven, six, five...

- She's just about to go to air.
- ...four, three...

Oh, shit. It's Harriet Dunkley.

You deal with China
and the MSS all the time.

We're talking about trained
ADO operatives, experts in their field.

I stand by the story.

You knowingly breached the Safer
Australia Act because you thought

you were above the law.

I think the law was beneath all of us.

- It's a breach of civil liberties.
- Your bosses don’t seem to think so.

- Their hands were tied.
- They threw you under the bus.

So you've got one bottle left.

I'll see you soon.

Our federal agencies are keeping us
safe in our beds at night.

I'd like to throw to Catriona Bailey
in our Sydney studios.

Minister, do you believe that Harriet
Dunkley has now paid her debt to society?

Ludie, rehabilitation is a key tenet
of our judicial system

and I've always upheld the rule of law.

We should expect nothing less
from our senior ministers of the Crown,

be they responsible for security laws,
privacy laws...

criminal law, military-justice law,
in regard to war crimes, for instance.

Who is watching our government's actions
in Iraq and Afghanistan?

What do you think you're doing? Quite
seriously, what do you think you're doing?

If you pull another blind-siding stunt,
you can kiss the Minister

and every member of her government goodbye
as guests on your show.

Griff, all I can hear
is Bailey's attack poodle yapping.

- There you go.
- Thank you.

Harriet, the Minister will see
your little friend.

Hello. My name's Andrew Griffiths.

I'm the chief of staff
for the Minister of Home Affairs.

- Thank you for coming in today.
- Where's Catriona Bailey?

- I'm afraid she won't be joining us.
- I was told I'd get to meet Bailey.

You don't just get to meet the Minister.
We know who you are and what you've done.

What I've done?

We brought you out here under
the refugee program in 2005, via Lebanon.

We provided you with an apartment
and furniture and a second-hand computer

for your TAFE course in bookkeeping
and what did you do with that?

Three years for financial fraud.

After we had paid for five years
of trauma counseling.

That's blood money, all of it.

You know what you did.

Well, it's a free country. You're welcome
to go public with your grievance.

You should consider the possibility
of breach of parole

and your husband's suspiciously
successful roof-tiling business

being audited by the ATO.

Who looks after Aliah
with both her parents in jail?

Well, thank you very much
for coming in today.

Ms. Almasi.

That old rag's gone to the dogs,
if you ask me.

Karen Koutoufides?

Mum's taking a keen interest.

She's on her second attempt at parenting
me, which isn't her natural skill set.

I happen to believe in second chances.

I'm looking for a senior media advisor.

I'm a little bit out of the loop,
but I could recommend someone.

I'm asking you.

I've checked the regulations. It seems
I can hire staff with a criminal record.

Full salary, with benefits.

What do you say?

Um...

Thanks, but no thanks.

Hm.

You're cool.

Mum's not the only one
keeping a close eye.

Director.

Someone here to see you.

Thanks, Thomas.

You can call off your little shadow squad,
Vaughn, I'm leaving. Is this Bailey?

Did she ask you to watch me?

- Who says we're watching you?
- Did you send an email to my ex-cell mate?

You the Rabbit?

The Rabbit?

What did they do to you in there, Harriet?

Electro-shock treatment?
You should've gone on that plane.

Could have been on a beach somewhere
instead of rotting in a concrete cell.

I would've got tracked.
Interpol or your lot.

Mm. You weren't that important.

Neither was Kim, apparently.

I mean, murdered at the hands
of an ASIO operative

and there's no Royal Commission,
no inquiry?

You'd be well-advised to keep
your distance from Mina and Sami Almasi.

- Boss.
- What is it, Thomas?

Robbie Lambert's digital footprint.

How you going?

Robbie?

Hi, I'm Karen Koutoufides. My son, Arlo,
went to school with your little brother.

I'm... so very sorry for your loss.

Robbie, I work in Canberra.
I represent the people of Davoren Park

and I want you to know
that I am going to fight.

For what?

You can't bring back my family.

I understand that you've got an uncle
in the UK. We could look at an airfare.

Mum and him weren't close.

- The Houlis said I could stay with them.
- Okay.

Okay.

This is my direct number.

Okay, now, you can call me any time.

Okay?

Excuse me, what...

- Robbie?
- Where are you taking him?

- Robbie?
- What's going on?

- Who are you?
- What's going on?

Robbie!

Are you filming this?

Robbie! Robbie!

Where are you taking him?

Excuse me. We've got a right to know.
We'll find out what's going on.

Robbie?

It's okay.

Yes, I've read the brief,

and I've read the ASD report...

and I'm aware he's 16 years old.

What I'm asking is,
are you ready to charge him?

I know they think we shot Bambi,
but wait till they see the facts, hm?

Minister.

Good morning.

This is amazing. My...
My daughter is your biggest fan.

- Oh! What's your name?
- Aliah.

She's gone all shy.
Can she get a photo with you?

- Of course.
- Go on.

Smile.

Aw, beautiful.

Can I get one, too?

Oh, sure.

They killed my family
and you covered it up.

I know what you are.
Harriet Dunkley told me.

Who was that, Mama?

Nobody important, sweetheart.

Robbie Lambert was arrested after...

...drastic action
if this kid wasn't up to his neck in it.

Independent MP
Karen Koutoufides on hand...

What isn't she telling us?

Bailey's office isn't returning any of our
calls about Robbie Lambert. No one is.

What do you want me to do?

Shut the door.

We suspect the boy was storing
some kind of homemade IED

for a militant leftist group
in the family garage.

We're still to ascertain
the cause of detonation.

Sorry to interrupt, Director General.
Minister, you really should see this.

Oh, excuse me, Madeline.

Clearly, she didn't get
the message. I had it translated.

Good, 'cause I don't speak Chinese.

It says, "Do I have your attention now?"

Shall I alert the AFP?

No, not yet.

Harriet, come here.

What's the meaning of this?

I mean, you got to understand.
Mina... Mina lost everything.

She lost her whole family.

There's always more to lose.

I don't respond well to threats, Harriet.

You should know that
from personal experience.

I suggest you call off your dog.

Oh, she's not my dog.

What is it between you two?

Gay for the stay,
isn't that what they call it?

I've called a press conference
for tomorrow morning

to announce an IGADF inquiry into
the Special Forces incident in Ar-Rutbah.

All the major outlets have been advised.

That's unlike you, Catriona,
taking a backwards step.

I'm a pragmatist, Harriet.
We tend to outlast the idealists.

"And then the queen looked out
the castle window

and saw the flock of ravens
across the sky..."

"And she said to her..."

What'd she say to her? Remember?

"What do you want to do to become a
raven?" And then all her dreams came true.

- And she became a raven.
- Mm-hm.

Mama?

What are you doing?

Aliah, go back to bed. I'll be home soon.

I promise.

Howie, the day's not over yet.

I'll need you to come back.

I have to go to Defense.
You won't have to wait.

- So, where you headed?
- Canberra.

I'm headed that way.

Relax you mind,
Jeffrey. Relax your body and...

It's late.

Yeah, well, she's not answering my calls
and it's important.

Listen to me,
I don't want you in my house.

Hm?

I don't want some ex-journalist
prying into my business.

Two years in a two by three meter cell,
Sami, we were always going to talk.

Mina's not here.

I assumed she was meeting you.

Did she say where she was going?

Fuck.

Harri, it's me. It's me.

It's me. It's me.
It was a trap, the whole thing.

What? Slow down.

You need to get out before
they come for you. They set us both up.

- Who?
- The fucking Rabbit.

- What?
- Bailey's dead... murdered.

You need to get in your car
and get out now.

- Trust me, Harri.
- Jesus Christ!

Mina, where are you going?

I can't let them put me back in a cell.

Okay. Give me your phone.
I'll turn it off so they can't trace you.

Oh, Jesus.

Not going to say goodbye?

- Well, I mean, I didn't want to wake you.
- That's not why.

I never asked you to come here, Mum.

I know.

- ♪ Run, little rabbit ♪
- ♪ Run, rabbit ♪

♪ Hit the road, little rabbit... ♪

♪ You may dot your Susie Q
But I'll boogie-woogie after you ♪

♪ You best not slip
You best not slide ♪

♪ I'll run you round and shoot you down
And fry your hide ♪

♪ You better run, little rabbit
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang... ♪