Serengeti (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Destiny - full transcript

Many tales have been told of Africa.

And this is our story.

A drama set in the heart
of our world...

..experienced as we live and
breathe it.

It was a year that would change
all our lives forever.

Mothers struggle to raise
their young.

Jealous rivals tore families apart.

Youngsters battle to find
their place in the world.

And all of us were tested...

..by the elements...

..by the seasons...



..and by each other.

This is the story of our lives
in a place they call Serengeti.

Our story begins after the rains.

It's the season of plenty
when living should be easy.

But in our land, life is rarely
that simple.

And all is not well with
the great pride.

At the heart of this family
is a formidable sisterhood.

The males jealously protect
them from outsiders...

..and demand the females stay
faithful.

But one of the lionesses is missing.

SCREECHES

Kali has had cubs with a lion
from outside the pride.

She gave birth in secret.

Now she must try to bring
her cubs home.



But Kali faces an impossible
dilemma.

If the pride male suspect
the cubs don't belong...

..they'll kill them.

But bringing them up alone is
just too dangerous...

..she has to take the risk.

Do they know her secret?

They know.

Kali is exiled...

..cast out with no protection
for her cubs.

While there's breath in her body,
Kali will stop at nothing

to keep her cubs safe.

She's learning the hard way,
when you fly against the wind,

it's a bumpy ride.

But the lions aren't the only
family with troubles.

The great rock...

..home to the baboons
since the dawn of our land...

SCREECHING

..but, recently,

an aggressive leader took over and
stirred things up.

He fought his way to the top...

..preferring to be feared, not
revered.

To rule, he relies on the support
of the highest ranking females

such as Sabera.

In return, she gains privileges
and protection for her baby...

..but she was once close to
another...

..Bakari...

..who now spends his days brooding
on the injustice of it all.

Sabera once brought him
into the troop,

and their friendship flourished.

But as her power and influence grew,

Bakari was left behind.

But he can't quite let her go.

To win her back requires
some social climbing.

As the leader gives into the heat...

..Bakari gives in to temptation.

But leaders always sleep with
one eye open.

SCREECHING

Defeat...

..for now.

But Bakari is determined
to win Sabera back...

..somehow.

With her cubs depending on her,

Kali must find the strength to
provide.

Hunting alone is fraught
with danger...

..but desperation brings courage.

But in our land...

..success never goes unnoticed
for long.

..and it's not just the vultures
who'll be circling.

HYENAS HEE

The hyena clan are a devoted
family, ruled by the females.

Their leader is a true warrior
queen...

..and the heir to her crown
is her daughter...

..Zalika.

She still relies on her mother
to protect her...

..and all that is precious.

Zalika is learning to raise her
own cubs,

just as her mother raised her.

For her mother, providing
for family always comes first.

She can sense
a meal on the faintest breeze.

KALI GRUNTS

Two mothers...

..one meal.

Kali knows what's coming.

HYENA HEES

She's not just taking on a hyena...

..but also the army
who support their queen.

One mistake...

..and they'll kill her cubs.

She has cornered Kali at her
most vulnerable.

A chance for Zalika to support
her mother...

..but Zalika lacks experience.

A mother knows how these battles
are won.

Show no fear. Face danger head-on.

This is a fight Kali cannot win...

..not without risking everything.

For one family to succeed, another
must fail.

It's Kali's cubs who will go
hungry tonight.

In our world, the difference
between winning and losing

isn't always strength...

..it's wisdom.

In this, the elephants rule.

This family of females share
an unbreakable bond.

For their wise matriarch Nalla,
it's a very special day.

Her new baby has just been born.

He won't be safe until he takes
his first steps...

..so his family must help him on
his way.

Tembo has been nurtured
to adolescence by his mother...

..but, suddenly, he's no longer
the centre of attention.

In fact, Tembo doesn't know
where he belongs any more.

Certainly not around a baby.

Accident or not,

Nalla must protect her newborn
above everything.

It's tough being upstaged
by a baby brother.

Nalla will have to help one
son into the family...

..while guiding another into adult.

Whether we shy away from change
or we seek it...

..change is never easy.

In solitude, Bakari can
focus his mind.

Climbing the hierarchy
will be dangerous...

..but to win Sabera back...

..he must take on the leader...

..and earn respect from the rest
of the troop.

Bakari just needs an opportunity.

At this time of year, the grass
is high,

so the leader takes Sabera
and the troop

to feed on the seed heads.

But Bakari is wary.

Enemies can knock when you least
expect them.

LEOPARD GROWLS

Frightened, Sabera seeks
reassurance from the leader.

Bakari daren't take
his eyes off the leopard...

..but the leader does nothing...

..so Bakari does the unthinkable.

He's done it.

Faced with a threat to Sabera,

Bakari found courage he never knew
he had.

But does she realise who it was
for?

He's made her feel safe...

..now she makes him feel needed.

But the powerful hate to be made
to look weak.

Bakari may have been put
back in his place,

but some things are worth the fight.

He's not prepared to let Sabera go.

Not all of us here lead
such complicated lives.

This close-knit family love
being together...

..and mongoose have a talent
for making friends...

..even with the warthogs, who are
notoriously bad-tempered.

The season of plenty

brings plenty of ticks that irritate
them even more.

But a warthog's burden is a
mongoose's banquet.

And this partnership has other
benefits...

..lots of eyes to look out for
danger...

..and a lioness with hungry cubs
is as dangerous as it gets.

An easy meal is just what she needs.

A chance to show the cubs
how it's done...

..but she's picked the wrong
warthog.

Not quite the show of skill
she had intended.

Beaten by a warthog.

The failure she can take.

Her cub's hunger is more
difficult to bear.

Kali is running out of time.

Her milk will soon run dry.

Without her sisters to help catch a
meal,

there's slim chance her cubs will
survive.

The hyena's strength comes
from family loyalty...

..and everyone must play their part.

For Zalika, her role was decreed
from birth.

Ready or not,

it's her destiny to inherit
the leadership.

But her mother's courage and
reputation is a lot to live up to...

..and her failure to take on Kali
still burns.

It wasn't just her mother
who saw her cower.

And doesn't want to earn
their family's respect?

Her mother sees an opportunity...

..but it's risky.

HYENAS HEE

For Zalika, it's a chance to
impress.

Her mother would be more cautious.

A cornered wildebeest will fight
to the death.

Success...

..but at a price.

Zalika has gained her first
battle scar...

..and alerted enemies.

The notorious black-maned lions.

Merciless towards their rivals.

Her kill lured them in.

Now she's injured, she's become the
target.

Her mother sees the danger
Zalika's in.

She can't let this happen.

It's her mother who's laid
herself down...

..sacrificed her life for her.

She had tried to prepare
Zalika for leadership...

..but who can prepare for the
death of a mother?

Consumed by grief, the reluctant
heir becomes queen.

For all of us, embracing our destiny
can be the hardest challenge of all.

In truth, none of us can stand
still,

we all have to grow,

to learn.

Especially the young.

Every morning the matriarch
leads her family to water.

Today, her baby has taken
an important step

on his path through life.

He's having his first bath.

For Tembo, it's all so confusing.

His mother no longer has time
for him.

While Tembo struggles with his place
in the herd...

..his little brother struggles
just to stay on his feet.

All Tembo can do is just tag
along behind...

..searching for a new role
in the family.

When all we rely on is gone,

it's hard to know where we belong.

It's something Kali must
also face up to.

Without her sisters, the balance
of power has now swung against her.

What once was prey is now
a deadly enemy.

Something's wrong.

Her smallest is missing.

Has the unthinkable happened?

A moment of relief...

..but it could be their last.

If Kali doesn't eat soon,
it's hunger that will take them.

The future can be a daunting
place...

..when it's faced alone.

Zalika had only just begun
to learn her mother's skills...

..now she must show she can lead
the clan...

..prove her courage.

Nearby are two of the most
feared killers in our land.

The leopards have not long
left their mother.

They are inexperienced, yet
reckless hunters.

A chance to prove herself
to the clan.

She hesitates...

..just a moment too long.

She doesn't hesitate this time.

Outnumbered, her courage deserts
her.

But what would her mother have done?

Show no fear.

Face danger head-on.

The respect of the clan is hard-won,

but she's proved she has the courage
to lead.

Leadership comes naturally
to some in our land.

Nalla has brought her family
to where grazing is good,

and her calf can explore.

As his confidence grows,
he's becoming more adventurous.

It's an enticing place
for a new baby...

..but also a dangerous one.

Tembo, trailing behind, is first
to see the lions.

While he fights...

..his mother summons the herd.

They form a barricade
around the baby.

Tembo must fight alone.

Tembo saved his brother...

..and has found a new role
for himself.

The protective older brother.

Among the baboons, peace
also seems restored.

But nothing is ever as it seems.

Since their friendship
was rekindled,

Bakari must be discreet
around Sabera.

As the leader takes the troop
to feed in the marshes,

Bakari follows quietly.

To avoid provocation,

he keeps his distance from
Sabera and the leader.

With food abundant, everyone
soon relaxes...

..except Bakari.

SCREECHING

He knows that cry.

For Sabera, it's too late.

But what could Bakari have done?

She made him brave.

She gave him something to fight for.

And her son will never survive
alone.

Bakari can't just abandon him...

..so he makes the only decision
he can...

..and takes her baby as his own.

But how could he possibly raise him?

Together, they face an uncertain
future.

In our land, fortunes change
in a heartbeat.

The actions of one can affect
us all.

Kali is exhausted and weak
with hunger...

..but she can't give up.

This could be her last chance
to save them.

But the zebra is too strong.

Kali has nothing more to give.

It's her sister.

She too has just had cubs.

This could be Kali's salvation.

Together, life will be easier...

..or so it seems.

A season of plenty will soon fade

and food will be harder to come
by.

And each and every one
of us will be tested again...

..with new arrivals...

..unexpected problems...

..old foes reappearing...

..dangerous encounters.

The Serengeti will demand
courage from us all.