Survivors (1975–1977): Season 1, Episode 2 - Genesis - full transcript

Greg comes home to find Britain just as desolate as Holland. Abby continues to look for her son, and finds that not all the gatherings of survivors have altruistic motives. Jenny finds it a challenge to survive on her own.

Here!

No!

Jeannie?

Jeannie!

I was wrong, Jeannie.

I thought you were the kind
that survived just to spite me.

Oh!

You have to help me, please!

I can't do anything by myself.

The tractor went over,

he's pinned underneath
and I can't get him free.



Come with me, please. Please!

- Where is he?
- At the quarry.

I tried to pull him free
but I couldn't move him.

It's on top of his legs.
He's in terrible pain.

You'd better get in.

What happened exactly?

We'd unhitched the trailer
and he was turning the tractor.

Went over on its side.

- He's unconscious.
- That's probably just as well.

It's lifting clear.

Yeah, but I need
another couple of inches.

Put your arms underneath his shoulders
and just try and gently ease him out.

Just pull him gently.

Here we are.



Can we get him to the hut?

Well, we'll just have to.
Just grab hold of his feet.

As gentle as you can.

All right.

Have you got some sort of drug amongst
this lot? Some kind of painkiller?

Have you got some brandy, then? Whisky?

In the trailer.
We got some on the last trip.

Yeah, would you get it?
'Cause he'll need something.

He's gonna be in a lot of pain.

And scissors? You got any scissors?

Is it very bad?

Yeah, well, legs are broken,
bones smashed.

God knows what we'll do about it.

Splints or something.

Well, you bind on splints, don't you?
I don't know anything about first aid.

Well, he's needs a damn sight more
than first aid.

I mean, his bones have got to be reset.
Properly.

And I don't know how to do it. Do you?

Well, whatever we're gonna do,

we better do it
while he's still unconscious.

Because when he wakes up,
he's gonna be in agony.

I could do with some of this myself.

- There are some cups somewhere.
- Oh, it doesn't matter.

Your family dead?

My father. Roger, my brother.

I had two days when I felt awful.

Daddy had sent the servants away,
so there was nobody.

Then I felt a bit better
and got downstairs.

Can you open this? It's a bit tight.

Do you know,
I'd never seen a dead person before.

It's warm.

Champagne's disgusting when it's warm.

How about you?

My wife died.

I'm sorry.

- Were you with her?
- No, I was in Holland.

Well, I'm an engineer.
I was working on land reclamation.

- Was it bad there?
- Well, it was slow at first.

Just a few people sick, we all thought
it was some kind of influenza bug,

but then people started dying,
and all in a rush,

I mean, hundreds of them.

Nothing happened to me. I was all right.

Same for him. He wasn't touched by it.

He told me everybody he knew had died,
and he wasn't even touched by it.

- How did you get back?
- Company helicopter.

Rotterdam was burning,
just miles and miles of fire.

Oil tanks going off like bombs.

Oh, I'd never seen anything like it
in my life.

And I came down the coast
as far as Calais and...

All the way down I saw nothing,
no people, no traffic.

When I stopped at Ostend
to get some fuel,

that was the only place
that I saw anybody.

Just a man and two children.

I tried to talk to them
but they just kept moving away,

wouldn't let me near them.

Well, I suppose they thought
I was carrying the disease.

Then I waited for a day and a night
for the weather to calm down.

Then I came across the Channel.

Where were you going when I stopped you?

Nowhere.

Just driving.

Now, well, if we're gonna do something
about putting splints on him,

I suppose we'd better make a start.

What do you want?
Keep away from this car, it's mine.

You're the first person I've seen.
The first one for days!

Yeah. Well, I've seen people.
They haven't seen me, though.

I'm keeping away from them.
I don't want their germs, see.

And that goes for you.
Clear off. Just clear off!

I've seen you before.

You were on the hill.
You had a sort of shelter.

- I talked to you!
- Oh, I remember.

Yeah. Well, it's like I told you then.

Stay away from people,
you'll be all right.

Just keep away from everybody
until the doctors clear it up.

For pity's sake! Don't you understand?
There aren't any doctors.

They died along with everybody else.

There isn't anybody left
to get it cleared up!

That's only here!
The Yanks have something, don't worry.

In the war, they gave us the stuff then.

The Yanks'll fix us up. Don't worry.

Take me with you.

I don't want to be by myself any more.

Please! Please!

That's about as much as I can do.

God knows if it's gonna do you any good.

It hurts like hell!

Yeah, I know it does.

I'm sorry.

I just don't see what else I can do.

You need proper attention.

You want one of these?

Is he going to get better?

I don't know.

Unless the bones are set properly,
he'll be crippled for life.

He might be able to get around
on crutches or something.

I just don't know.

It's going to be like this
from now on, isn't it?

- Like what?
- Accidents!

Even little things.

A bad cut, burns.

Almost anything,
they'll be really serious.

God help us if we get something
as simple as toothache.

- How long do you think?
- Mmm?

I mean, how long before things start
to get back to normal.

Normal? Never.

Not in our or several other lifetimes.

That's what he thinks, too.

It's gonna be very tough.

I suppose it could be.

For some.

What do you mean?

There's an abundance of everything.

Living may not be gracious,
but it can be comfortable.

One way or another,
I'm gonna make damn sure

I get my full share
of everything that's going.

Anybody there?

Hello?

Who's there?

Stay where you are.

- What do you want?
- I saw the lights.

- You're on your own?
- Yes.

I saw the lights and I thought
there might be somebody up here.

- I just came to see.
- You're not sick?

- Not got the sickness?
- No.

I was. I did have the disease
but I'm all right.

No. Stand where you are.

Now, what do you want?

Look, I told you. I saw the lights.

God knows,
there are few enough of us left.

I haven't seen or spoken to anyone
for the best part of a week.

- Look, if you want me to go, I'll go.
- Sure you're on your own?

Oh, for God's sake!
Just let me get in my car and I'll go.

All right, Dave. Switch the lights on.

I'm sorry about that.
Can't be too careful.

Had a little trouble earlier.

Well, will you come in?

I don't want my battery to go flat.
Will you turn off the lights?

It's all right, Dave. Nobody with her.

Oh, uh, this is Dave. Dave Long.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Arthur Wormley.
- Abby Grant.

Well, I'll take your coat.

Well, come on through.
We're in the kitchen.

We were just preparing something to eat
when we heard your car.

Come on through.

- Well, this is nice. Everything working?
- Oh, yes.

Stoves works off cylinder gas.

Generator for the electricity.

There's even water,
pumped up out of the well.

You're very lucky.

Yes, yes. There can't be many places
that are totally independent

of outside services.

Oh, uh, would you like a drink?
We've got almost everything.

I'd love one. Vodka?

Yeah. Dave.

Anything with it? Bitter lemon, tonic?

Tonic, please.

Ice?

Yes, please.
It all seems so normal.

Well, that's it, isn't it? That's it.

That's all we got to get back to,
quick as we can. Back to normal.

Oh, you'll stay
and have something to eat?

We're not the greatest cooks
in the world

but you're welcome to
anything we've got.

Thank you.

I'll just have a look at the stove.

- Thank you.
- It won't be too long.

Thanks, Dave.

Now... Cheers.

Cheers.

I'm sorry.
It's just that I have seen you before.

I'm sure we've never met
but I've seen you before.

Well, it's likely. My picture's been
in the papers enough times.

Arthur Wormley, of course.
The union man. Chairman, wasn't it?

Well, national president. I was.

There's nothing to be president of.

Well, not at the moment, anyway.

You must have been in close contact
with government circles.

I mean, you must have been quite
well informed when all this started.

Oh, just at the beginning.

Of course, they'd called
an emergency meeting.

But everything happened so fast.

They issued some orders to the army,
put up roadblocks,

stopped people leaving the cities,
but it's damn silly, really.

Finally they had to declare
martial law,

which meant that
under certain circumstances

the authorities could open fire
to protect property or life.

That's awful.

Well, did it happen? Was there shooting?

Oh, I think so,
during the first panic weeks.

After that, there weren't enough
fit people to carry out the orders.

Well, come to that, there weren't enough
people moving about to cause trouble.

So, there's no authority now. Nothing?

Well, not as such. Not yet.
But there will be.

There's armed people moving around
all over the country.

Aimless. Lost.

They'll make contact with each other.

Start forming into groups.

Somebody's got to unite those groups.

Bring them under central control.

They'll want leadership, guidance.

They'll want somebody in authority.

Now, under the circumstances,

it's up to somebody
to assume that responsibility.

It's up to somebody to
take the power to lead.

I'm not a church-going man.
Never one for religion.

I think God might have spared me
to help those of us that are left.

That's my skill. That's my talent.

Organisation.

I think it's about ready.

Oh, good, good. I'm starving.
Well, bring it out then, Dave.

That looks marvellous.

Out of the deep freeze.

There must be enough for 10 there.

Would you like to wash up
in the cloak room while we get this out?

- Oh, yes please.
- Okay.

I'll show you where it is.

- Second door on the left.
- Thank you.

Carve as much as we need, Dave,

and take the rest out to them.

We'll have to get
some more beds tomorrow.

There are plenty in the warehouse
where we got that one.

We'll just have to make do for tonight.

There are plenty of blankets
and pillows.

I'll make out a list in the morning.

Books. I'd like to get a lot of books.

It's going to be a long, dull winter
with just the three of us.

Yeah, well. Look, Anne...

You two have got things
pretty well set up here.

- Yes, it's not bad.
- But it's just...

Vic chose it. He said it was isolated
and easy to defend.

He was going to bring some more
of these portable huts

down here on the trailer,
so we'd have some storage space.

Do you think you could
get the tractor back on its wheels?

- Yeah, I expect so.
- Good.

Vic said we should go out every day
and get things.

Right through the winter if needs be.

He said we should collect everything
we could lay hands on.

- Yeah, that's a good idea.
- Yes.

Then later on, we might be able to find
some people

who'd be willing to work for us.

They could grow vegetables
and things like that.

And we could pay them with food,
goods, clothing. Things like that.

- Was that Vic's idea, too?
- No, I thought of that.

I don't think we're going to be
too badly off.

You see, from now on
money isn't going to mean anything.

The rich will be the ones
who've got things

I'm sure there'll be plenty of people
who'd be glad to work for a good meal

or a warm coat or something.

Oh, yeah. They'll be queuing up.

Yes. In those terms,
I'm sure we'll be quite well-to-do.

I going to have to get some sleep.

There's some blankets
over there somewhere.

Yes, I went to the school.

But the master
had taken some of the boys away.

Peter was one of them.
I don't know where they went.

Well, I hope you find him.
We'll need all the youngsters.

I might be able to help you later.

Oh, there must be a lot of people
that had got separated.

As we contact the survivors,
I hope to make a list of their names.

Where they're going, what they're doing.

I want to make this a sort of
a clearing centre for information.

It's a marvellous idea.
It's something that'll be badly needed.

Well, we have to do what we can.

Now, what about you?
What about your plans?

Well, finding Peter
is the most important thing, of course.

But at the same time,
I'm looking for a place.

Somewhere to start a home.
A farm. A settlement, really.

You see, I think,
we're going to have to start again.

Right from the beginning.

We're going to have to relearn
all the old crafts.

Oh, I don't just mean growing food,

and God knows,
that's going to be hard enough.

But all the other things
that we've forgotten.

Aren't you going to use anything
that's left over?

Well, of course I will. I'll have to.

But the aim is to become
more and more self-reliant.

To depend less
on what's been left behind.

You're not making it easy for yourself,
are you?

I mean, I agree with you about
growing food,

but the hardware of civilisation
will last for a long time yet.

Of course it will. But not forever.

Don't you see the point
we'd reached in our civilisation?

Now, look around you. Anywhere you like.
In this house, in this room.

I doubt if it contains a single artefact

that was the exclusive creation
of one person.

Well, this table.
This simple wooden table.

Well, I'm no carpenter, but I reckon

I could knock up something like this.

Right from scratch?

You'd fell the timber? With what?

An axe or a saw.

The steel for the saw
has been made in a foundry,

the iron ore has been dug
from the ground,

and the fuel to smelt it with
has been mined.

Now, what happens when the last
axe head cracks and the last saw breaks?

This simple metal knife

is the product of hundreds of people
in dozens of different trades.

And take anything else you like,

anywhere you like,
and the same will be true of it.

How do you make a cup?
A piece of paper? Glass?

Our civilisation had the technology
to land a man on the moon.

But as individuals we don't even have
the skill to make an iron spearhead.

We are less practical
than Iron Age man.

I'm sorry. It's just that
I've thought about it a lot.

And with nobody to talk to,
I haven't been able to say it out loud.

No, I'm glad you did.

You've thought about more deeply
than I have so far.

And I'm sure that you're right.

You won't be able to
start this settlement on your own.

No.

But I'm hoping there'll be other people
who'll think the same way.

Oh, there will. It's a first-class idea.

And when you start
at this commune of yours...

- Well, that's where I can help.
- In what way?

By making sure that
you can get on with it

without being interfered with
by outsiders.

By bringing some law and order.

We've got to back
to the rudiments of government.

Yours won't be the only settlement.

I should have thought
it would have been a long time

before we needed
any sort of national administration.

Oh, believe me, it can't be too soon.

We've already started in a little way.

Locating food dumps.

Making sure that
everything is shared out.

So one man doesn't corner the market.

If the distribution is handled
from here, nobody will go without.

I'll make sure of that.

Oh, the beginnings will be small.
Perhaps just this area.

But as we grow stronger,

we'll spread out, expand.

That's how the old feudal barons
operated, wasn't it?

Perhaps.

But it's the way that ultimately led

to the finest democratic system
in the world.

I suppose.

It's just that I hadn't seen
a political system

as being one of our priorities.

Well, that's where you're wrong.

There's little groups forming already,
trying to take over.

I told you earlier
we'd had a spot of trouble.

Started the day we took this place over.

It's not your house?

No. We needed a headquarters.

That evening, a rat pack of toughs
came marching up,

led by an ex-army chap.
Called himself a colonel.

Said they were a vigilante force
of citizens.

I offered them to join up.
It couldn't have been fairer.

Do you know what these army chaps are?

They won't let go one scrap of authority
they've managed to grab.

He started raiding.

The last attack came just before you...
You arrived.

I gave them a taste
of their own medicine.

They won't be back in a hurry.

Anyway, that's all over now.

Would you like a brandy?

No. No, thank you.

Well, uh, you're going to
go on tonight or

would you like a bed here?
There's plenty of room.

You must be tired with
all that time on the road.

There is one thing I'd appreciate.

I noticed you had hot water.

A bath would be the greatest luxury
that I can think of.

All the hot water you want.

All the hot water in the world.
I'll show you where it is.

Get them all?

There's three round the back,
another one down by the road.

- Well, where's Phil?
- Oh, he's had it.

Mr Wormley, I...

Go back, Mrs Grant.

We have assumed authority
to maintain law and order in this area.

By what right?

The government announcement
of a state of emergency

and the introduction of martial law

provides all the powers necessary
to protect life and property.

Those powers are vested only
in the recognised authorities

- of the services and the police.
- You are guilty.

You are guilty of leading an armed
attack against peaceful citizens.

Peaceful citizens...

You have caused the death of a man
carrying out his duty

in defending this area.

Now, you men. Listen to me.

Having taken responsibility
for this area,

it is my duty, to administer such laws
as are for the general welfare.

This man has committed murder.

We are completely within our legal
right to pass judgement on him.

Not only our right, but our duty.

Now, is that clearly understood?

By the authority vested,

in a declared state of martial law,

the penalty for murder is death.

You will be executed.

The sentence will be carried out
immediately.

All right. Take him away.

This isn't right.
This isn't right!

No!

No, you have no right to do that!
You can't do that!

They're an armed gang
trying to attack this house.

His execution is perfectly legal.

But you're murdering him!

Mrs Grant, we will never get back to
any law and order

while men like him
are allowed to grab power.

Good luck with your settlement,
Mrs Grant.

I warn you,

without people like us
to lead and protect you,

you'll never get anywhere.

- Where are you going?
- I don't know. I'm not sure.

You're coming back though?
You will come back?

No.

But you can't go. You can't just go.
What about me?

I'm sorry. You'll just have to
look out for yourself.

I can't! I can't manage on my own.

Look, if I can find dome drugs,
some medicines,

something that'll help him,
then I'll come back.

But I'm not promising anything
and even if I do, I'm not staying.

You've no right to leave me!

Get out of that car. Get out!

Anne.

Get me something to drink.

Shut up.

Shut up! Shut up!

Where are you going?

You can't leave me on my own.

Stay here. Anne!

Please!

Don't go!

I don't have any definite plans
at the moment.

Just drive around for a while,
I suppose. See what's happening.

How about you?

I just want to be with people.

I thought I could manage. I've always
been an independent sort of person.

But the last week...

The loneliness was more than
I could bear. It was awful.

Yes. Well, I expect people
to be starting to form up

in small groups by now.

We'll find somebody for you.

Will you stay, if we do?

Oh, I don't know.

I'll take these pills and drugs
and things down to the quarry.

After that,
I think I'll just take it as it comes.

I've got the things you need.
They're in the boot.

I'll get them for you.

He's dead.

You'd better get in the car.

Help me!

Anne!

Help me!

There's sure to be a petrol station
somewhere nearby.

Ah, it's probably better to pick up
another car with a full tank.

Anyway, there's no point
in staying here.

Just grab your things.

It'll be dark soon.
There's no point in staying around.

May as well find a place
to spend the night.

Come on.

Greg. Greg, look!

Let's find where it's coming from.
There must be people there.

It's hard to tell how far away it is.

I'm going there.

- What, now?
- Yes.

It's a signal,
they must want people to see.

All right.

Anne.

Anne, come on, wake up.
We're moving out.

Leave me alone.

Come on, Anne. Please!

I'm cold! Leave me alone.

Look, Anne, it's up to you.
But we're going.

And if there's anybody there,

we'll come back
and pick you up tomorrow.

I saw the fire.

I hoped somebody would.
You're the first.

Will there be others?