Serengeti (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Exodus - full transcript

LION GRUNTS

CHIMPS CHATTER

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Many tales have been told of Africa.

This is our story.

A drama set in the heart
of our world.

Experienced as we live
and breathe it.

So far, we've faced many challenges.

Parents learned
to keep their young safe.

Rivals battled for supremacy.

While enemies threatened us all.



This is the next chapter
in our story...

..of the place they call Serengeti.

# Serengeti

# Serengeti

# She is speaking

# Better listen. #

Our land is dry.

Each day, the heat
continues to build.

There's no relief in sight.

All of us gather in the one place
we can still quench our thirst.

The water hole is now our lifeline.

But, day by day,
there's a little less to go round.

Struggling catfish
are a sign of the drought to come.

But some relish this time of year,



and the easy meals it brings.

Kali is finally at ease,

back with the pride
that once cast her out.

Her cubs are safe at last.

Each day, Shani leads her foal
and family

on the perilous trek to water.

Kali and the great pride
are always there, watching...

..and waiting.

Abundance brings choice,

and the zebra foal is highly prized.

Kali is well practised
in the art of ambush.

This time, it wasn't Shani's foal
who met his fate.

But for many,
the danger is far from over.

Beneath the surface,
the mud is a trap.

And Shani is caught.

So too is her foal.

He may have escaped,
but what of his mother?

She's exhausted,

and her struggles
just take her deeper into the mud.

But, when all strength is gone,

we all need something to fight for.

The bond between mother and young
is sometimes the strongest of all.

Not all fear the mud.

For the mighty,
it's one of life's pleasures.

Each day, Nalla leads her family
here to drink and wallow.

They too run the gauntlet
of the lions.

But here, the elephants rule.

Confrontation would achieve nothing.

Elephants are too mighty
to be trapped by mud.

So Nalla's baby can safely
enjoy the cooling water.

But one family member
is no longer welcome.

Tembo has reached adulthood,

and he's too boisterous
to stay in a family of females.

He now only watches from afar...

..then takes out his frustration
any way he can.

Rejected and lonely,
Tembo must seek company elsewhere.

Warthogs also find pleasure
as the mud takes over.

They should enjoy it while they can.

Soon our land will turn to dust.

For now, there are
more immediate concerns.

Where life gathers,

leopards prowl.

Most hunts end in failure.

And soon, even the warthogs
won't be visiting.

But for now, the daily procession
to the water hole continues.

Even the mongoose join in.

They're not just here
to quench their thirst.

Dung beetles are everywhere.

Gathering the dung
the herds leave behind.

The balls they make provide both
food and a nursery for their young.

Having laid an egg inside,
they find a place to bury it.

Where dung balls are hidden,

more can be found.

Dig them up,

and there's a feast inside.

But first,
they need to break them open.

A beetle grub is a treat
to be savoured.

To return home,
they must cross open ground.

It's the martial eagle
who now has a chance of a meal.

Their nearest cover is the tree.

The mongoose are safe
for the moment.

But they're also trapped.

Somehow, they must persuade
the eagle to leave.

Mongoose are fearless and noisy.

And hunters rely on not being seen.

The mongoose will make sure
everyone knows he's there.

And it's the eagle
who's left in the sun.

It's just a short sprint home.

As the day finally cools,

the herds head back to the plains.

Shani and her foal join those
who have lived to see another day.

But each new dawn
brings fresh conflict.

The vultures are ready
for any who lose the fight.

Jasari brought his family here

for the riches
that migration brings.

But, as his pups thrive,
their demands for food also grow.

The only relief from the begging
is to catch another meal.

For vultures, wild dogs are
certainly a family worth following.

Success is something
everyone wants to share.

Zalika, leader of the hyena clan,
saw it all unfold.

While vultures hope for scraps...

..Zalika is cautious.

Last time she encountered Jasari,
she was badly beaten.

She daren't risk her life again.

A loss of confidence
is hard to conceal...

..and gives confidence to others.

The clan offers some consolation.

A victim of the treacherous mud.

For Zalika, the pressure to provide
is over for the day.

But even scavengers
can be scavenged upon.

A rival clan wants to lay claim
to the water hole

and all it offers.

If Zalika shows weakness,
her family will fail.

She leads the charge...

..and singles out their leader.

Zalika's confidence is restored.

Her rivals won't return in a hurry.

But in winning one battle,
she lost another.

There's not a scrap left
worth fighting for.

Tembo's visits to the water hole
are still solitary affairs.

Forced out from his family,

he's lonely and frustrated.

Even life's simple pleasures
bringing little relief.

But he's not the only young adult
male evicted from his family.

At last, a kindred spirit.

Once made, male friendships
can last a lifetime.

Companionship will bring comfort

as the next stage
of his life begins.

Baboon rock is now
strangely deserted.

Except for the klipspringers.

And one solitary baboon.

Bakari is in self-imposed exile.

He sought refuge here
when his feud with the leader

spiralled out of control.

His old troop has moved
to be nearer the water hole.

But once in a while
he must drink there, too.

The lions have taken up
permanent residence.

Kali is enjoying the good times
while they last.

There's an endless supply
of thirsty prey.

They aren't the only ones
who've moved in.

Monitor lizards also relish
a wholesome meal.

With the great pride
protecting the cubs,

the water hole has become
their playground.

But nowhere is truly safe.

And the pride only needs
to be distracted for a heartbeat.

The cubs have never seen
a python before...

..and have no idea how deadly it is.

Few remain unmoved
by a pride of lions.

Let him have his pool.

Bakari finally arrives.

But now the lake
is more mud than water.

The plight of others is a reminder
of how fragile life can be.

Bakari must keep his wits about him.

A baboon alone is fair game
for cubs.

It's a tough climb for any lion,

let alone a cub.

Bakari faces a long wait.

A time to ponder.

Then his old troop arrives.

But things are worse than he feared.

Jika, the female who helped
raise his adopted baby,

is now with the leader.

The youngster has grown
while he's been away.

But something's not right.

The baby is being bullied
by the leader.

Bakari is powerless to stop it.

And so it seems is Jika.

Bakari is still trapped.

In the end, hunger always
gets the better of lions.

But it's too late.

His troop are long gone.

With the lions commanding the lake,

the leopard must hunt elsewhere.

He joins forces with his sister.

Young and inexperienced,

they have a lot to learn.

Desperate times
call for desperate measures.

But how to eat it?

When threatened,
porcupines favour reverse.

There can only be one outcome.

The leopards are left
to lick their wounds...

..and deal with the quills.

But all of us face
a far bigger problem.

Day by day,
our water hole is vanishing.

Even Kali resorts
to scavenging in the mud...

..and has to deal
with the consequences.

There's a sense of unease...

..especially among the zebra.

Each day, Shani's stallion
must fend off rivals.

If he loses,

she and the other females
will be stolen from him.

Once again, Shani's stallion
sees off the threat.

But with drought threatening
her family's survival,

her troubles are far from over.

Zalika and her clan
are still guarding what's left

of the water hole and taking
what scraps they can find.

Back at their den,

the cubs wait patiently
for their mother's return.

But it's not the mothers
who are approaching.

The black-maned males are back.

They destroy
all they consider rivals...

..no matter how young
or how innocent.

ROARING

CUBS SQUEAK

CUBS SQUEAK

Zalika is too late.

THEY BARK

Two of their cubs are gone.

These were the lions
who killed her mother.

Fighting back will only mean
more bloodshed.

They must flee to another den.

THEY BARK

Those too young to run
must be carried.

The black-maned males
are gaining supremacy,

death by death.

Zalika's refuge
is a den she's used before.

But first,
they must evict the squatters.

SQUEALING

BARKING, SQUEALING

THEY HOWL

Fate can turn in an instant,
and fortunes with it.

Drought now grips
the whole of our land.

There's no relief
from the heat and dust.

The land is parched and dry.

The lake has almost vanished.

Dust devils add to the misery.

It's a test of endurance for us all.

The herds have no reason to stay.

For the sake of her foal
and family, Shani must leave.

The great exodus begins.

The vultures will go where the wind
and the herds take them.

BRAYING

Those who only know this place
is home must hunker down.

THEY HOWL

Our world is becoming a wasteland.

But the elements are
not done with us yet.

THEY SQUEAL

The fire soon reaches
the wild dogs' den.

Their pups are alone.

But Jasari was alerted by the smoke.

He must find a way
through the flames.

Escape before it's too late.

Fear and panic spreads
across our land.

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET

Our home is being destroyed.

Nowhere is safe.

On Baboon Rock,

Bakari has witnessed
the fire engulf everything.

And his troop are caught
in the middle of it.

BARKING

He can't just stand by and watch.

In the tinder-dry grass,
the inferno spreads rapidly.

BARKING

SQUEALING

Chika and her baby run
for their lives.

In his panic, her youngster
seeks safety in a tree.

Chika realises too late.

Now she can't reach him.

GROWLS

And the leader thinks
only of himself.

But Bakari is heading
for the flames.

He hears their cries.

SQUEALING

Somehow, he must find a way through.

SCREECHES

Seeing Bakari gives the youngster
the courage he needs.

Together, they find a way to safety.

TRUMPETS

Finally, the fire reaches
Kali and the great pride.

But fleeing the fire takes them into
the path of even greater danger...

..the black-maned males.

ROARS

They're here to take
over the pride lands,

and the lionesses with it.

But first, they'll kill their cubs

and force the lionesses

to have their cubs instead.

GROWLING

GROWLS

Kali must fight once more...

..to give her cubs
the chance to escape.

The pride males fight for
their lives and their land.

Kali must leave the battle
and find her cubs if she can.

The males must fight on alone.

Already, a pride male is taken.

ROARS

Night falls, and fates are decided
under the cloak of darkness.

As dawn breaks, the extent
of the destruction is revealed.

Kali survived.

But only two of her cubs
are by her side.

GROWLING

Kali has suffered so much...

ROARS

..endured so much...

ROARS

..and now this.

ROARS

But the elements
still have more to unleash.

ROARS

The rain brings an end to the fire.

But our land is gone...

..extinguished like the dying
embers of the flames.

Yet despite the devastation,

our land will be reborn.

Rain that brought the promise
of better times...

..also brings danger.

THEY TRUMPET

Old scores will be settled.

Some will get a second chance.

The Serengeti will rise once more.

# Serengeti

# Serengeti

# She is speaking

# Hear her this time. #