Survivors (1975–1977): Season 3, Episode 6 - Reunion - full transcript
Walter!
Walter! Walter!
Stop! Stop!
Walter, about a mile back.
Horse threw him. Got a broken leg.
Been out all night.
- Walter?
- Yeah. A shepherd man. Friend of mine.
Well, are you coming or not?
Of course we're coming.
Well, we're too far from Wellingham
and our German friend.
Sloton Spencer...
- What?
- Vet...
- What?
- Vet.
- A vet?
- Did my sheep.
A vet. Where is the vet?
North or south? Where is he?
Ma... Manor.
- Manor?
- House.
Manor house? Is that it? A manor house?
Sloton...
- Sloat?
- Spence...
- Has he gone?
- Who?
Our big, husky commissar.
Oh, yes. He prowled round the stables
for a bit and then off he went.
"We must teach the people!
"You're probably
the only vet in the country. "
# Don't put your daughter
on the stage, Mrs Millon #
- Make her a vet.
- What's he going to do anyway?
Round everybody up
and force them here to be lectured?
He's persuasive enough.
- Bit intense, I thought.
- That's passion.
- That's what?
- It'll appeal to the women.
Well, you should know.
- Greg? Hmm.
- Hey. You watch it.
- Short for Gregory, I suppose.
- Hmm.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Is this Sloat Spins?
- Sloton Spencer, yes.
- Ah.
- Uh, I'm Charles Vaughan.
- Philip Hurst.
- Are you ill?
- No.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I gather you're a vet?
Well, more human than animal nowadays,
I'm afraid.
Oh. Well, we have a man
with a broken leg
about three miles south.
We daren't move him.
Oh. I'll go and tell Janet.
She's the vet.
Oh.
All right, Charles?
Yup, all right.
No, I didn't.
Collect all this.
I've always lived here.
The whole area was my practice
before the Death.
Pretty lucrative. Lot of horses.
Mind you, I've raided
a few colleagues' surgeries.
Not as much danger from dogs
in the country.
Well, not then, anyway.
Are all the drugs you use
the same the doctors used?
Oh, yes. Why?
Oh, I was just thinking about
a friend we had
who went into Birmingham once
for antibiotics.
We never thought of vets.
- What happened to him?
- He died.
- Allowed to watch?
- Yes, of course. Come in.
Incredible, isn't it?
This was Janet's practice before.
- Oh, I see.
- I was just thinking about Paul.
No need to go into cities.
Aye. Well, we learn.
At a rough guess, I'd say
you're about as useful as a doctor.
- Sorry. I didn't mean...
- I know.
- You must get about a lot.
- Yes, I do.
- Do you go far?
- As far as I have to.
As far as I can.
'Cause there's Brucellosis
about 60 miles south of here.
How many?
Well, we think it's run its course now.
But about 20 cows died.
- But a friend of ours went down with it.
- How long?
- Sorry?
- Well, how long has he had it?
About a week.
- Fever?
- To begin with.
- How old is he?
- Well, she's about...
About my age.
She'll be all right.
Behind you, in the cupboard,
there's some wire.
That's it.
Can you place it over his face?
Now, don't worry.
We're giving you an anaesthetic.
You'll be fast asleep in no time.
Place it each side.
Jenny, if you can open that thing
over there
and get a large pad of cotton wool.
Where's Hubert?
Oh, Philip's teaching him about horses.
He used to be a breeder.
That's right.
And good practise for you, too.
Now, put the pad
over the wire netting, that's it.
Charles, there's a pair of scissors
in that drawer.
Cut his trouser leg from the thigh,
will you?
- This one?
- Yes, that's right.
But gently.
He's got a fracture of the femur.
Do you know that a doctor
wasn't allowed to practise on animals,
but a vet could on humans?
Good heavens.
You see, a vet was trained
as an applied scientist.
A doctor was constructed not to think
of anything else alive except humans.
In our situation,
vets are infinitely more valuable.
We're used to disinfectants,
controlling the environment.
We hardly ever referred our patients.
Not like doctors.
And as far as emergencies go,
we can do almost anything, provided...
I should stand back if I were you.
Provided we have the anaesthetic.
Now, breathe deeply.
Come on. Deeply.
Finish the trousers when he's under.
Keep breathing.
Keep breathing.
- Fluoranthene.
- What?
Fluoranthene.
Before, we used it
in conjunction with oxygen.
Oh, I see. Hence, the wire and
the cotton wool. No oxygen.
We ran out of oxygen ages ago.
What happens when you
run out of fluoranthene?
Well, I suppose
we'll just have to get used to it.
Pain is something
we'd largely got rid of.
But we managed before anaesthetics.
- Thank you. Not very well.
- Oh, come on.
In Trafalgar chaps
got their legs shot off
and they cried out,
"Oh! Got me leg shot off. "
Got slugged on rum or whatever it was,
old sawbones lopped off the leg,
slapped hot tar on the stump,
and that was it.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
There are substitute anaesthetics.
Like a synthesis of pethedine.
How on earth did you know about that?
- Oh, we've met people.
- Here.
That's aspirin. From willow bark.
And there's a fellow we met
called Bill Sheridan.
He's an expert on homeopathic medicine.
See, it's quite apparent to me that
we've enough skill and inventiveness
to really get things moving again.
All it needs is organising.
A federation of communities...
Sorry?
I'm sorry. It's a private joke.
Look. What about tonight?
We've got beds and we can feed you.
And hot baths. It's a back boiler.
Are you warm enough?
Yeah, I'll do.
Here, who's gonna look after your sheep?
You off?
I don't mind telling you
I'm getting a bit fed up
with charging around
all over the place.
I'll ask her about your sheep.
She'll get somebody.
- Did it hurt?
- Huh?
Did it hurt you?
No.
No, I went out like a light.
It hurts a bit now, though.
Some people can do everything,
can't they?
I mean, even now.
Behaving as if they had money,
as if they were old barons.
You can't make it out.
It's funny, innit? Damn funny.
Oh, well.
They've even got bath salts.
It's going to ruin
our surviving technique.
Oh, it's just for one night.
- They seem nice people.
- Hmm? Yes. Yes.
If... If Greg really thought about me
and wanted me...
Look, Jenny.
Don't let all this fool you.
These people
can't live like this forever.
They depend on other people
swapping food for treatment.
But what happens
if the population falls
or they fall ill themselves?
Where's the support, eh?
Greg knew this.
And if it seems he's been neglecting you
then it's for all our sakes, all right?
Mmm.
Poncy smells.
Hello, Hubert.
This is one of our stills.
- For drinking?
- I'm afraid not.
It's a substitute for petrol.
Every now and then we take the car out
when we've got enough.
And we keep the grass down.
But it's a long, slow process.
You find you have to go further afield
each time for veterinary supplies?
Exactly.
You know, you have
a fair-sized community living here.
People could come to watch and learn.
Eventually, they could go out and
form their own groups. You could...
You could test them before they went.
Examine them.
The National School
of Veterinary Medicine?
Well, you probably are
the only vets in the country.
Yes. Well, in our experience,
most people who come here
aren't really interested
in what we can do.
In the way of development, I mean.
I mean, you and your kind are
few and far between, you know.
They're going to have to be
organised, aren't they?
Always have bosses.
That's right. In places with democracy,
survival comes first.
You know,
it's quite extraordinary.
Only this morning, I was listening
to exactly the same words.
That's the Pony Club
I used to help with.
We got to Horse of The Year Show
in '73.
Mounted Games.
That's our police dogs
we used to look after.
Who's that? The boy.
Well, that was my son.
He was away during the Death.
So was my husband.
He was up in Edinburgh
on a business trip.
I never saw either of them again.
And that must have been taken
just before.
Well, you can see
from the notice there.
We had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth.
That really saved us, 'cause it meant
the people had to stay away.
So when I heard the news on the radio,
I had plenty of time to disinfect
the approaches to the house.
"To Mrs Millon.
With love, the Pony Club. "
Oh, look. I'm boring you.
How about another drink?
Jenny?
What is it?
What was his name, your son?
- Why?
- Your son's name.
- Why?
- Was it John?
We have a boy called John.
John Millon.
He's nine now.
- We found him.
- Where?
Not here. Down south.
He was down south.
He said he'd been staying
with his granny and...
- She died.
- Yeah.
I went to look for him.
I found my mother but John had gone.
He's fair, round-faced.
- He's got a mole on his back.
- Yes!
He's alive.
He's at a place called Challoner.
It's where we left to come up here.
He's being looked after.
There's a very nice woman there
called Pet who looks after him
and she's very warm-hearted and lovely.
And...
- Oh, Janet!
- Oh!
My son's there, too.
Paul. He's still only a baby.
He went to a prep school, John.
Oh, that's right.
Oh, Janet!
I must go and tell Charles.
- Jenny!
- It's John's mother!
- Jenny, it's Greg.
- It's John's mother.
- Greg was here.
- Janet.
- He was here.
- Janet Millon.
Our John.
And I want Paul.
We're going back.
We're all going back.
We know how you feel, Jenny.
But John isn't going to leave Challoner.
He'll be there until we get back.
Look...
We've come a long way.
We've suffered quite a lot.
If we go back now
we'll have to start all over again.
Greg was here, Jenny.
He was here.
That's not a rumour or hope.
A few hours ago he was here.
- Philip said he went north, to Buxton.
- North!
Jenny.
You can't go with Janet on your own.
The dogs are getting worse.
I need Greg as much as you need Paul.
As much as Janet needs John?
Jenny, it's not for me.
- No?
- No!
We're doing it for everybody?
For humanity?
Look.
Greg can't be
more than a few miles away.
A day or two at the most.
We'll find him.
Then we can all go back to Challoner,
all of us.
- Janet and I can go on our own...
- No!
...and Philip can look for Greg.
Philip has got a man with a broken leg
to look after.
And I'm not trusting Hubert with you.
Not all that way.
We've got to stick together, Jenny,
and be rational.
- Rational!
- One day, Jenny. One day. That's all.
- It's always one day!
- All right, two!
Look.
I promise faithfully,
if we haven't found Greg
two days from now,
we'll come back here,
we'll collect Janet,
and we'll go back to Challoner.
All right?
Now, there's still
some strep left in there,
so be careful.
- I will.
- Oh, hello.
We're just checking through things.
Help Philip while I'm gone.
What's the matter?
I'm not going. Not yet.
Two more days.
Well, we can all go then.
You see, with Greg so close
we must try and find him.
We've come all this way and...
Oh, I couldn't.
I must go in the morning. I must.
I just couldn't.
- Only for two days, I promise.
- You two go.
But what...
- I mean, what if you don't come back?
- Nothing will happen to us.
But I'd worry. Terribly.
I really would.
I don't think I could stand it.
Well, we could always leave you
a map reference.
But the route.
Well, you know the safe ways.
Can't your friend Hubert
go after Greg?
Hardly, he's...
He's not all that motivated.
He's... He's not very reliable, either.
- Charles!
- Not in this.
You see, even if we did know
where it was,
Philip and I can't go together.
There must always be someone here.
We've got this broken leg now and...
Oh, please.
Don't say I can't go to my son, please.
Why must you find
this chap Greg, anyway?
I mean, what so important?
He's not the Prime Minister yet, is he?
What is he? An engineer or something?
Well, all right,
so he's got some good ideas.
But he's not going to
change the world overnight.
And even if he's your friend,
it's not as important
as Janet finding her son.
Surely?
He's the father of my child,
my husband.
But I though he said
the girl was Swedish.
What girl?
Well, I don't know.
He talked about some girl.
I though he said she was Swedish.
- She is Norwegian.
- Oh.
And there's nothing between them.
Absolutely nothing !
- I wasn't suggesting there was.
- All right, everybody. All right.
Why don't we just...
Why don't we just go
and get some sleep, eh?
Jenny?
- Come on, Jenny.
- No.
Greg has got a lot to do
and he's very busy.
Janet and I shall go to Challoner
first thing in the morning.
Because we need our children.
Don't we, Janet?
That's the thing that matters.
Don't worry, Jenny,
I'll keep a lookout for Charles.
He's bound to come back here,
with or without Greg.
Anyway, we've got Hubert riding
shotgun till tomorrow night.
Hubert's a good shot.
Aren't you, Hubert?
I can manage.
Charles has given you the rendezvous.
That place by the river.
He's promised to meet up with us
tomorrow night.
That's not even two days.
It's not that. It's just that...
Anyway, Philip,
thank you very much for everything.
Poor girl. Her baby one end
of the Earth, her man...
Goodbye, my love.
Don't say goodbye. I'll see you soon.
Yes. With my son.
He might not seem very much like me.
Well, it won't make me love you
any the less.
- We'll have a big reunion.
- I've still got those fireworks.
They'll be damp.
No, they won't.
I put them in the airing cupboard.
- Check the reservoir supply.
- I will.
And watch Walter's toes.
If they turn the slightest shade...
Don't worry.
- Don't forget the generator.
- Get off.
Bye.
Bye.
Come on.
- Hey, how are we doing?
- All right.
- What are you doing?
- We're building a house.
- Who for?
- Us. John and me.
What's wrong with the one you got?
We're playing mothers and fathers.
No luck?
Nah. Dead as a doornail.
Is the battery all right?
I checked it with the hydrometer.
Seems okay.
Seems ages since they left.
They'll be back.
Down, Jenny! Stay down.
Of course, it was
a rather silly thing to do.
- Hey? What was?
- Oh, to jump up like that, Jenny.
Quite right. You could have
got yourself killed easy as wink.
Still, it was
very brave of you, Hubert.
Charles must have confidence
to leave us with you.
Uh-huh.
Well, now, did I tell you about the time
before the Death when I was a shepherd?
One of my sheep got stuck on a ledge
halfway down the quarry.
Stuck fast, she was.
I went down there, without a rope.
No one to hold me in case I fell.
I brought that sheep back up, I did.
- But what did you do for handholds?
- Hey?
Well, you were carrying
the sheep on your back.
How on earth did you hold on?
Feet.
All the best climbers use their feet,
didn't you know that?
- Quite true. Climbing is all balance.
- Ah, there you are. Feet.
Anyway, you did save my life.
Thank you very much.
What's that?
Charles.
I'm sorry, Jenny.
Where's Hubert?
You see, I think we got it all wrong.
I kept thinking, as I was chasing Greg.
Whitecross was fine for a time.
We learned to be independent,
to survive.
But it's not in the centre,
either geographically or actively.
There's a lot going on
in the Midlands and the North.
Janet's place is ideal.
Challoner is just a temporary halt.
And you're the kind of doctor
that any settlement could do with.
Could we form one, Janet,
with you at Sloton Spencer?
How many of you are there?
Two adults, two children and a baby.
Mmm. That's all, really,
at Challoner, anyway.
There's us two as well, obviously.
- I'll have to ask Philip, of course.
- Hmm, of course.
- But is it on?
- Oh, yes.
Yes! Why not?
Well, we'd be able to do more reccies.
More searches.
And after that we could bring
the others down from Whitecross.
Yes, I know. I think it's a good idea.
- It's time I did something positive.
- Oh, not you.
Oh, yes. I was rather sceptical
about your friend Greg.
I had no right to be.
I was even sceptical
about Hubert's ability to shepherd us.
- What matters is sticking together.
- Yes.
Never mind, Jenny.
Not long now before you see Paul.
How far to go?
About 50 miles.
Can't be far from Seth's place
at Linden.
Can we make the 4 o'clock call?
Oh, we should get there in time.
If we hurry.
Hello? Jack!
Oh, we thought we'd missed you.
We're at Linden.
We're on our way to Challoner. Yeah.
Now listen, this is very important.
We have Mrs Millon with us,
John's mother.
Yes!
Yes, we found her at John's home!
She thought he was dead.
That's incredible, Jenny! Amazing!
Hey, that's wonderful!
I can't wait to tell Pet,
let alone John.
But you're certain it's his mother?
Oh, yes, it definitely is.
No doubt at all.
Uh, but, Jack, I think
you ought to tell him gently.
I mean, don't shock him.
No, well, I'll get Pet to tell him.
But it really is wonderful news, Jenny.
I can't believe it!
How's my baby?
Paul? He's fine. Blooming.
Now, don't worry.
Hey, how long you been travelling?
Oh, you'll be worn out.
You've got another two days yet.
Oh, we'll manage.
Well, look, if you're at Linden,
why don't we come to meet you there?
I mean, you must all be bushed.
Oh, uh... Uh, I don't know.
Hold on. I'll ask Charles.
Jack suggests they come out to meet us.
We stay where we are.
- They come here?
- My horse is a bit winded.
Yes, he looks a bit down.
Perhaps he ought to rest.
I don't want them to.
It's not a journey for a baby.
Not with just Jack and Pet, anyway.
Can we compromise?
They come and meet us halfway.
Yes, all right.
You go and tell him, Jenny.
What if we miss them? We'll be
in a right caper then, won't we?
They'll be safe enough
if they follow our route.
But is it wise? It's quite
a long way to go with a baby.
Oh, Charles seems to think
it'll be all right.
And what about dogs?
Well, we're on the cart. I got my gun.
We'll be all right
as long as we don't carry any meat.
Anyway, I've arranged
it all now, haven't I?
I had to make a decision straightaway.
Might not have contacted them again.
Yes, all right.
Look at him.
Tomorrow he'll see his mother
for the first time in two years.
Um, Lizzie love,
come and give us a hand, will you?
- What with?
- It won't take a minute.
But what about John?
Yeah. Well, him too
when he's finished his dinner.
Come on.
Gosh! Haven't you eaten a lot?
Soon we're not going to be able
to feed you.
- May I leave...
- In a minute.
...leave the table, please?
John...
Do you remember...
Well, do you ever think about, you know,
what life was like before...
You know, before Greg and Jenny
and Charlie and I came along?
Do you?
Not much.
We've never talked very much, have we?
About your family?
No.
I just wondered.
Why?
Well, you know how things happen.
People lost touch with each other.
You know Charlie's looking for Greg
and he may not find him for ages,
for years, even.
- He will.
- Oh.
Well, I hope he shares your confidence.
But can you imagine
how surprised he'd be
if one day he suddenly bumped into him
when he thought that he was...
Dead?
- Yes.
- Is he?
Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no.
I was just imagining
what it would be like.
But suppose somebody told you that
somebody that you thought was dead
wasn't dead after all?
Who?
How about your mummy?
I don't know if she is.
But you weren't with her.
You were with your granny when
it all happened, everybody dying.
She died.
Your granny died. Yes, I know.
And then you left
and Greg and Jenny found you.
But suppose you found out
that your mummy wasn't dead?
That she was lucky, like you?
Don't know.
John, lovey, listen.
Please.
We think that your mummy's alive.
Jenny's coming back with her.
She's coming here tomorrow.
You'll see your mummy again tomorrow.
Is Charles coming?
- Big day.
- Yes.
- Nervous?
- Yes, we might miss them.
- Oh, I didn't mean that.
- I know. Yes, I am.
It's two years.
A child grows a lot in two years.
- He might hardly remember me.
- Oh, I can't believe that.
It's actually longer than two years.
He was at his granny's
for a month before the...
- Well, before it happened.
- Oh, he's very normal.
Very well-adjusted, really, considering.
It's remarkable.
I'm quite terrified, actually.
He obviously loved you a great deal.
He talked about me?
No. That's the point. He didn't.
Here we go.
There's a good boy.
Didn't say goodbye to the cows.
Bye, cows!
- Did you try?
- Yeah, I tried.
- Well, what did he say?
Nothing. He didn't seem to care.
Well, maybe he doesn't
remember his mother.
Well, we've virtually been his parents.
Greg and Jenny, Charlie and me.
Yeah, I suppose so.
But his mother will be
expecting hugs and kisses.
No, I don't think so.
I spoke to her on the 8 o'clock call.
She's a vet and very businesslike.
She's bound to understand.
Here's Mummy.
- Hello, my love.
- Hello.
Hello, John.
It's me.
Your mummy.
Where's Janet?
John's with Hubert and the horses.
A real turn-up.
Do you really think
we ought to leave Challoner?
- Why?
- John!
- That can't be it, surely.
- He's only confused.
No. He was behaving funny before.
- I think something's happened.
- What?
Don't know.
Maybe he thinks, you know, as kids do,
that his mother deserted him
or something.
Well, let's sort out
what we're gonna do.
Who wants to go back to Challoner?
Well, I think we ought to
stick together.
I'm not going to leave Paul
again, anyway.
All right, then, that's settled.
Spend the night at Linden with Seth.
He can pass the word back to Challoner.
Don't worry, Jenny.
We'll leave word for Greg there.
And Janet's place is the best place
for this fellow.
Isn't it?
Where's John?
Where's my pony?
I know I didn't see him all that much.
Well, he was away at school.
Even when he was at home,
he was off on the farms.
Well, he knew all the farmers.
And I was busy with the practice.
But even so,
it's as though he resents me.
Jenny, where's John now? Do you know?
Um, I think he's out exploring
with Jack.
And you had the foot-and-mouth here
just before the Death?
Yes.
Uh, I tried to take him round,
but he's sitting in the stable.
He won't shift.
Hello, John.
They've taken your pony, have they?
Tell you what, I've never
really seen round the farms.
Your mother was telling me
about Sam Higgins' place.
Um, friend of yours, remember?
You used to milk his cows.
Let's go and have a look, shall we?
You know what's happened,
don't you, John?
It's the foot-and-mouth. Remember?
It probably wiped out all his cattle.
Or they had to be killed.
You know that, don't you, John?
Cattle have to be killed
when there's foot-and-mouth?
Your mother probably had to help.
But you can't blame her
for that, can you?
I want to go back.
I thought he blamed you
for his pet cows being killed.
He wouldn't have known. He wasn't here.
Well, shall I take Walter's meal up
or will you?
Janet?
That must be it.
I wrote to his granny
saying John mustn't come home
because I didn't want him to see the
shooting of the cattle and the burying.
Well, he was due home, you see,
the day after
the foot-and-mouth broke out.
Obviously, he thought
I didn't want him back.
And his granny probably didn't tell him
about the foot-and-mouth.
- She probably didn't.
- Well, his granny died.
All he knew was that his mother had
forbidden him to come home again.
But Philip's told him
about the foot-and-mouth.
Oh, he doesn't understand.
And he won't listen to me.
He just stares.
I'll talk to him.
Ah! It's amazing, isn't it?
Looks just the same as it did
when you were here.
Remember the old saying
the camera never lies?
Aye, well, it did.
Quite often.
You know,
you can be certain of one thing,
you get it fixed in your head.
And then you're wrong.
Do you remember Alistair MacFadden?
- Ah, that man. Yes.
- Mmm-hmm.
He frightened you. Do you remember why?
Hubert said he was dangerous.
Like a tiger.
- So what did you do?
- Ran away.
- Bet you don't know what happened then.
- Yes, I do.
I stayed out all night.
In the tree house.
Oh, no, no, no.
I mean, what happened to Alistair.
- He left.
- Mmm-hmm. Do you know why?
Because we didn't trust him.
See, we believed that he'd killed you.
And that upset him.
And so he left.
Hubert went after him on his own
like a madman.
Of course, we didn't tell you at
the time 'cause you were too young.
Telling you now 'cause you're grown-up.
He's changed, though,
hasn't he, eh? Hubert?
The guy looked after Jenny.
Do you know, Jenny believes that Greg
doesn't want to come back to her?
- No!
- Mmm-hmm.
Well, we'll have to convince her,
won't we?
People believe some funny things.
Do you know, your mummy believes
that you don't love her?
And that you think she didn't want you
to come back from your granny's?
I know why, of course.
It's because there was
foot-and-mouth here.
She didn't want to upset you by seeing
your favourite cows destroyed.
She wrote to your granny,
telling her to wait
for a couple of weeks,
but then the Death came, didn't it?
She couldn't telephone or anything.
By the time she got down there,
it was too late.
You'd already gone.
Ah, it's funny
how people believe these things.
Wasn't that incredible?
I actually persuaded him.
Oh, I don't know. My powers, eh?
Look, I don't suppose I could...
No, no, no, no.
You're too deeply entrenched.
What?
Well, I just thought, you know,
if I can persuade John to see the facts,
then maybe I...
You know.
What are you talking about?
Well, you know how suspicious
you are about Greg.
You know, not wanting him and all that.
- Poor old Greg.
- Oh, shut up!
No, no, no. I know how you feel. No.
It's just that...
When I do find Greg, which I shall do,
how do I explain to him that his woman
doesn't want him any more?
I mean, she's such a suspicious woman,
this woman Jenny.
- Poor old Greg.
- Now look here, I think...
Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
Oh, Jenny, Jenny.
Don't worry, Jenny.
We'll find him.
We'll find him.
Um, let's see.
What is white, fluffy
and hangs in trees?
Walter! Walter!
Stop! Stop!
Walter, about a mile back.
Horse threw him. Got a broken leg.
Been out all night.
- Walter?
- Yeah. A shepherd man. Friend of mine.
Well, are you coming or not?
Of course we're coming.
Well, we're too far from Wellingham
and our German friend.
Sloton Spencer...
- What?
- Vet...
- What?
- Vet.
- A vet?
- Did my sheep.
A vet. Where is the vet?
North or south? Where is he?
Ma... Manor.
- Manor?
- House.
Manor house? Is that it? A manor house?
Sloton...
- Sloat?
- Spence...
- Has he gone?
- Who?
Our big, husky commissar.
Oh, yes. He prowled round the stables
for a bit and then off he went.
"We must teach the people!
"You're probably
the only vet in the country. "
# Don't put your daughter
on the stage, Mrs Millon #
- Make her a vet.
- What's he going to do anyway?
Round everybody up
and force them here to be lectured?
He's persuasive enough.
- Bit intense, I thought.
- That's passion.
- That's what?
- It'll appeal to the women.
Well, you should know.
- Greg? Hmm.
- Hey. You watch it.
- Short for Gregory, I suppose.
- Hmm.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Is this Sloat Spins?
- Sloton Spencer, yes.
- Ah.
- Uh, I'm Charles Vaughan.
- Philip Hurst.
- Are you ill?
- No.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I gather you're a vet?
Well, more human than animal nowadays,
I'm afraid.
Oh. Well, we have a man
with a broken leg
about three miles south.
We daren't move him.
Oh. I'll go and tell Janet.
She's the vet.
Oh.
All right, Charles?
Yup, all right.
No, I didn't.
Collect all this.
I've always lived here.
The whole area was my practice
before the Death.
Pretty lucrative. Lot of horses.
Mind you, I've raided
a few colleagues' surgeries.
Not as much danger from dogs
in the country.
Well, not then, anyway.
Are all the drugs you use
the same the doctors used?
Oh, yes. Why?
Oh, I was just thinking about
a friend we had
who went into Birmingham once
for antibiotics.
We never thought of vets.
- What happened to him?
- He died.
- Allowed to watch?
- Yes, of course. Come in.
Incredible, isn't it?
This was Janet's practice before.
- Oh, I see.
- I was just thinking about Paul.
No need to go into cities.
Aye. Well, we learn.
At a rough guess, I'd say
you're about as useful as a doctor.
- Sorry. I didn't mean...
- I know.
- You must get about a lot.
- Yes, I do.
- Do you go far?
- As far as I have to.
As far as I can.
'Cause there's Brucellosis
about 60 miles south of here.
How many?
Well, we think it's run its course now.
But about 20 cows died.
- But a friend of ours went down with it.
- How long?
- Sorry?
- Well, how long has he had it?
About a week.
- Fever?
- To begin with.
- How old is he?
- Well, she's about...
About my age.
She'll be all right.
Behind you, in the cupboard,
there's some wire.
That's it.
Can you place it over his face?
Now, don't worry.
We're giving you an anaesthetic.
You'll be fast asleep in no time.
Place it each side.
Jenny, if you can open that thing
over there
and get a large pad of cotton wool.
Where's Hubert?
Oh, Philip's teaching him about horses.
He used to be a breeder.
That's right.
And good practise for you, too.
Now, put the pad
over the wire netting, that's it.
Charles, there's a pair of scissors
in that drawer.
Cut his trouser leg from the thigh,
will you?
- This one?
- Yes, that's right.
But gently.
He's got a fracture of the femur.
Do you know that a doctor
wasn't allowed to practise on animals,
but a vet could on humans?
Good heavens.
You see, a vet was trained
as an applied scientist.
A doctor was constructed not to think
of anything else alive except humans.
In our situation,
vets are infinitely more valuable.
We're used to disinfectants,
controlling the environment.
We hardly ever referred our patients.
Not like doctors.
And as far as emergencies go,
we can do almost anything, provided...
I should stand back if I were you.
Provided we have the anaesthetic.
Now, breathe deeply.
Come on. Deeply.
Finish the trousers when he's under.
Keep breathing.
Keep breathing.
- Fluoranthene.
- What?
Fluoranthene.
Before, we used it
in conjunction with oxygen.
Oh, I see. Hence, the wire and
the cotton wool. No oxygen.
We ran out of oxygen ages ago.
What happens when you
run out of fluoranthene?
Well, I suppose
we'll just have to get used to it.
Pain is something
we'd largely got rid of.
But we managed before anaesthetics.
- Thank you. Not very well.
- Oh, come on.
In Trafalgar chaps
got their legs shot off
and they cried out,
"Oh! Got me leg shot off. "
Got slugged on rum or whatever it was,
old sawbones lopped off the leg,
slapped hot tar on the stump,
and that was it.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
There are substitute anaesthetics.
Like a synthesis of pethedine.
How on earth did you know about that?
- Oh, we've met people.
- Here.
That's aspirin. From willow bark.
And there's a fellow we met
called Bill Sheridan.
He's an expert on homeopathic medicine.
See, it's quite apparent to me that
we've enough skill and inventiveness
to really get things moving again.
All it needs is organising.
A federation of communities...
Sorry?
I'm sorry. It's a private joke.
Look. What about tonight?
We've got beds and we can feed you.
And hot baths. It's a back boiler.
Are you warm enough?
Yeah, I'll do.
Here, who's gonna look after your sheep?
You off?
I don't mind telling you
I'm getting a bit fed up
with charging around
all over the place.
I'll ask her about your sheep.
She'll get somebody.
- Did it hurt?
- Huh?
Did it hurt you?
No.
No, I went out like a light.
It hurts a bit now, though.
Some people can do everything,
can't they?
I mean, even now.
Behaving as if they had money,
as if they were old barons.
You can't make it out.
It's funny, innit? Damn funny.
Oh, well.
They've even got bath salts.
It's going to ruin
our surviving technique.
Oh, it's just for one night.
- They seem nice people.
- Hmm? Yes. Yes.
If... If Greg really thought about me
and wanted me...
Look, Jenny.
Don't let all this fool you.
These people
can't live like this forever.
They depend on other people
swapping food for treatment.
But what happens
if the population falls
or they fall ill themselves?
Where's the support, eh?
Greg knew this.
And if it seems he's been neglecting you
then it's for all our sakes, all right?
Mmm.
Poncy smells.
Hello, Hubert.
This is one of our stills.
- For drinking?
- I'm afraid not.
It's a substitute for petrol.
Every now and then we take the car out
when we've got enough.
And we keep the grass down.
But it's a long, slow process.
You find you have to go further afield
each time for veterinary supplies?
Exactly.
You know, you have
a fair-sized community living here.
People could come to watch and learn.
Eventually, they could go out and
form their own groups. You could...
You could test them before they went.
Examine them.
The National School
of Veterinary Medicine?
Well, you probably are
the only vets in the country.
Yes. Well, in our experience,
most people who come here
aren't really interested
in what we can do.
In the way of development, I mean.
I mean, you and your kind are
few and far between, you know.
They're going to have to be
organised, aren't they?
Always have bosses.
That's right. In places with democracy,
survival comes first.
You know,
it's quite extraordinary.
Only this morning, I was listening
to exactly the same words.
That's the Pony Club
I used to help with.
We got to Horse of The Year Show
in '73.
Mounted Games.
That's our police dogs
we used to look after.
Who's that? The boy.
Well, that was my son.
He was away during the Death.
So was my husband.
He was up in Edinburgh
on a business trip.
I never saw either of them again.
And that must have been taken
just before.
Well, you can see
from the notice there.
We had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth.
That really saved us, 'cause it meant
the people had to stay away.
So when I heard the news on the radio,
I had plenty of time to disinfect
the approaches to the house.
"To Mrs Millon.
With love, the Pony Club. "
Oh, look. I'm boring you.
How about another drink?
Jenny?
What is it?
What was his name, your son?
- Why?
- Your son's name.
- Why?
- Was it John?
We have a boy called John.
John Millon.
He's nine now.
- We found him.
- Where?
Not here. Down south.
He was down south.
He said he'd been staying
with his granny and...
- She died.
- Yeah.
I went to look for him.
I found my mother but John had gone.
He's fair, round-faced.
- He's got a mole on his back.
- Yes!
He's alive.
He's at a place called Challoner.
It's where we left to come up here.
He's being looked after.
There's a very nice woman there
called Pet who looks after him
and she's very warm-hearted and lovely.
And...
- Oh, Janet!
- Oh!
My son's there, too.
Paul. He's still only a baby.
He went to a prep school, John.
Oh, that's right.
Oh, Janet!
I must go and tell Charles.
- Jenny!
- It's John's mother!
- Jenny, it's Greg.
- It's John's mother.
- Greg was here.
- Janet.
- He was here.
- Janet Millon.
Our John.
And I want Paul.
We're going back.
We're all going back.
We know how you feel, Jenny.
But John isn't going to leave Challoner.
He'll be there until we get back.
Look...
We've come a long way.
We've suffered quite a lot.
If we go back now
we'll have to start all over again.
Greg was here, Jenny.
He was here.
That's not a rumour or hope.
A few hours ago he was here.
- Philip said he went north, to Buxton.
- North!
Jenny.
You can't go with Janet on your own.
The dogs are getting worse.
I need Greg as much as you need Paul.
As much as Janet needs John?
Jenny, it's not for me.
- No?
- No!
We're doing it for everybody?
For humanity?
Look.
Greg can't be
more than a few miles away.
A day or two at the most.
We'll find him.
Then we can all go back to Challoner,
all of us.
- Janet and I can go on our own...
- No!
...and Philip can look for Greg.
Philip has got a man with a broken leg
to look after.
And I'm not trusting Hubert with you.
Not all that way.
We've got to stick together, Jenny,
and be rational.
- Rational!
- One day, Jenny. One day. That's all.
- It's always one day!
- All right, two!
Look.
I promise faithfully,
if we haven't found Greg
two days from now,
we'll come back here,
we'll collect Janet,
and we'll go back to Challoner.
All right?
Now, there's still
some strep left in there,
so be careful.
- I will.
- Oh, hello.
We're just checking through things.
Help Philip while I'm gone.
What's the matter?
I'm not going. Not yet.
Two more days.
Well, we can all go then.
You see, with Greg so close
we must try and find him.
We've come all this way and...
Oh, I couldn't.
I must go in the morning. I must.
I just couldn't.
- Only for two days, I promise.
- You two go.
But what...
- I mean, what if you don't come back?
- Nothing will happen to us.
But I'd worry. Terribly.
I really would.
I don't think I could stand it.
Well, we could always leave you
a map reference.
But the route.
Well, you know the safe ways.
Can't your friend Hubert
go after Greg?
Hardly, he's...
He's not all that motivated.
He's... He's not very reliable, either.
- Charles!
- Not in this.
You see, even if we did know
where it was,
Philip and I can't go together.
There must always be someone here.
We've got this broken leg now and...
Oh, please.
Don't say I can't go to my son, please.
Why must you find
this chap Greg, anyway?
I mean, what so important?
He's not the Prime Minister yet, is he?
What is he? An engineer or something?
Well, all right,
so he's got some good ideas.
But he's not going to
change the world overnight.
And even if he's your friend,
it's not as important
as Janet finding her son.
Surely?
He's the father of my child,
my husband.
But I though he said
the girl was Swedish.
What girl?
Well, I don't know.
He talked about some girl.
I though he said she was Swedish.
- She is Norwegian.
- Oh.
And there's nothing between them.
Absolutely nothing !
- I wasn't suggesting there was.
- All right, everybody. All right.
Why don't we just...
Why don't we just go
and get some sleep, eh?
Jenny?
- Come on, Jenny.
- No.
Greg has got a lot to do
and he's very busy.
Janet and I shall go to Challoner
first thing in the morning.
Because we need our children.
Don't we, Janet?
That's the thing that matters.
Don't worry, Jenny,
I'll keep a lookout for Charles.
He's bound to come back here,
with or without Greg.
Anyway, we've got Hubert riding
shotgun till tomorrow night.
Hubert's a good shot.
Aren't you, Hubert?
I can manage.
Charles has given you the rendezvous.
That place by the river.
He's promised to meet up with us
tomorrow night.
That's not even two days.
It's not that. It's just that...
Anyway, Philip,
thank you very much for everything.
Poor girl. Her baby one end
of the Earth, her man...
Goodbye, my love.
Don't say goodbye. I'll see you soon.
Yes. With my son.
He might not seem very much like me.
Well, it won't make me love you
any the less.
- We'll have a big reunion.
- I've still got those fireworks.
They'll be damp.
No, they won't.
I put them in the airing cupboard.
- Check the reservoir supply.
- I will.
And watch Walter's toes.
If they turn the slightest shade...
Don't worry.
- Don't forget the generator.
- Get off.
Bye.
Bye.
Come on.
- Hey, how are we doing?
- All right.
- What are you doing?
- We're building a house.
- Who for?
- Us. John and me.
What's wrong with the one you got?
We're playing mothers and fathers.
No luck?
Nah. Dead as a doornail.
Is the battery all right?
I checked it with the hydrometer.
Seems okay.
Seems ages since they left.
They'll be back.
Down, Jenny! Stay down.
Of course, it was
a rather silly thing to do.
- Hey? What was?
- Oh, to jump up like that, Jenny.
Quite right. You could have
got yourself killed easy as wink.
Still, it was
very brave of you, Hubert.
Charles must have confidence
to leave us with you.
Uh-huh.
Well, now, did I tell you about the time
before the Death when I was a shepherd?
One of my sheep got stuck on a ledge
halfway down the quarry.
Stuck fast, she was.
I went down there, without a rope.
No one to hold me in case I fell.
I brought that sheep back up, I did.
- But what did you do for handholds?
- Hey?
Well, you were carrying
the sheep on your back.
How on earth did you hold on?
Feet.
All the best climbers use their feet,
didn't you know that?
- Quite true. Climbing is all balance.
- Ah, there you are. Feet.
Anyway, you did save my life.
Thank you very much.
What's that?
Charles.
I'm sorry, Jenny.
Where's Hubert?
You see, I think we got it all wrong.
I kept thinking, as I was chasing Greg.
Whitecross was fine for a time.
We learned to be independent,
to survive.
But it's not in the centre,
either geographically or actively.
There's a lot going on
in the Midlands and the North.
Janet's place is ideal.
Challoner is just a temporary halt.
And you're the kind of doctor
that any settlement could do with.
Could we form one, Janet,
with you at Sloton Spencer?
How many of you are there?
Two adults, two children and a baby.
Mmm. That's all, really,
at Challoner, anyway.
There's us two as well, obviously.
- I'll have to ask Philip, of course.
- Hmm, of course.
- But is it on?
- Oh, yes.
Yes! Why not?
Well, we'd be able to do more reccies.
More searches.
And after that we could bring
the others down from Whitecross.
Yes, I know. I think it's a good idea.
- It's time I did something positive.
- Oh, not you.
Oh, yes. I was rather sceptical
about your friend Greg.
I had no right to be.
I was even sceptical
about Hubert's ability to shepherd us.
- What matters is sticking together.
- Yes.
Never mind, Jenny.
Not long now before you see Paul.
How far to go?
About 50 miles.
Can't be far from Seth's place
at Linden.
Can we make the 4 o'clock call?
Oh, we should get there in time.
If we hurry.
Hello? Jack!
Oh, we thought we'd missed you.
We're at Linden.
We're on our way to Challoner. Yeah.
Now listen, this is very important.
We have Mrs Millon with us,
John's mother.
Yes!
Yes, we found her at John's home!
She thought he was dead.
That's incredible, Jenny! Amazing!
Hey, that's wonderful!
I can't wait to tell Pet,
let alone John.
But you're certain it's his mother?
Oh, yes, it definitely is.
No doubt at all.
Uh, but, Jack, I think
you ought to tell him gently.
I mean, don't shock him.
No, well, I'll get Pet to tell him.
But it really is wonderful news, Jenny.
I can't believe it!
How's my baby?
Paul? He's fine. Blooming.
Now, don't worry.
Hey, how long you been travelling?
Oh, you'll be worn out.
You've got another two days yet.
Oh, we'll manage.
Well, look, if you're at Linden,
why don't we come to meet you there?
I mean, you must all be bushed.
Oh, uh... Uh, I don't know.
Hold on. I'll ask Charles.
Jack suggests they come out to meet us.
We stay where we are.
- They come here?
- My horse is a bit winded.
Yes, he looks a bit down.
Perhaps he ought to rest.
I don't want them to.
It's not a journey for a baby.
Not with just Jack and Pet, anyway.
Can we compromise?
They come and meet us halfway.
Yes, all right.
You go and tell him, Jenny.
What if we miss them? We'll be
in a right caper then, won't we?
They'll be safe enough
if they follow our route.
But is it wise? It's quite
a long way to go with a baby.
Oh, Charles seems to think
it'll be all right.
And what about dogs?
Well, we're on the cart. I got my gun.
We'll be all right
as long as we don't carry any meat.
Anyway, I've arranged
it all now, haven't I?
I had to make a decision straightaway.
Might not have contacted them again.
Yes, all right.
Look at him.
Tomorrow he'll see his mother
for the first time in two years.
Um, Lizzie love,
come and give us a hand, will you?
- What with?
- It won't take a minute.
But what about John?
Yeah. Well, him too
when he's finished his dinner.
Come on.
Gosh! Haven't you eaten a lot?
Soon we're not going to be able
to feed you.
- May I leave...
- In a minute.
...leave the table, please?
John...
Do you remember...
Well, do you ever think about, you know,
what life was like before...
You know, before Greg and Jenny
and Charlie and I came along?
Do you?
Not much.
We've never talked very much, have we?
About your family?
No.
I just wondered.
Why?
Well, you know how things happen.
People lost touch with each other.
You know Charlie's looking for Greg
and he may not find him for ages,
for years, even.
- He will.
- Oh.
Well, I hope he shares your confidence.
But can you imagine
how surprised he'd be
if one day he suddenly bumped into him
when he thought that he was...
Dead?
- Yes.
- Is he?
Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no.
I was just imagining
what it would be like.
But suppose somebody told you that
somebody that you thought was dead
wasn't dead after all?
Who?
How about your mummy?
I don't know if she is.
But you weren't with her.
You were with your granny when
it all happened, everybody dying.
She died.
Your granny died. Yes, I know.
And then you left
and Greg and Jenny found you.
But suppose you found out
that your mummy wasn't dead?
That she was lucky, like you?
Don't know.
John, lovey, listen.
Please.
We think that your mummy's alive.
Jenny's coming back with her.
She's coming here tomorrow.
You'll see your mummy again tomorrow.
Is Charles coming?
- Big day.
- Yes.
- Nervous?
- Yes, we might miss them.
- Oh, I didn't mean that.
- I know. Yes, I am.
It's two years.
A child grows a lot in two years.
- He might hardly remember me.
- Oh, I can't believe that.
It's actually longer than two years.
He was at his granny's
for a month before the...
- Well, before it happened.
- Oh, he's very normal.
Very well-adjusted, really, considering.
It's remarkable.
I'm quite terrified, actually.
He obviously loved you a great deal.
He talked about me?
No. That's the point. He didn't.
Here we go.
There's a good boy.
Didn't say goodbye to the cows.
Bye, cows!
- Did you try?
- Yeah, I tried.
- Well, what did he say?
Nothing. He didn't seem to care.
Well, maybe he doesn't
remember his mother.
Well, we've virtually been his parents.
Greg and Jenny, Charlie and me.
Yeah, I suppose so.
But his mother will be
expecting hugs and kisses.
No, I don't think so.
I spoke to her on the 8 o'clock call.
She's a vet and very businesslike.
She's bound to understand.
Here's Mummy.
- Hello, my love.
- Hello.
Hello, John.
It's me.
Your mummy.
Where's Janet?
John's with Hubert and the horses.
A real turn-up.
Do you really think
we ought to leave Challoner?
- Why?
- John!
- That can't be it, surely.
- He's only confused.
No. He was behaving funny before.
- I think something's happened.
- What?
Don't know.
Maybe he thinks, you know, as kids do,
that his mother deserted him
or something.
Well, let's sort out
what we're gonna do.
Who wants to go back to Challoner?
Well, I think we ought to
stick together.
I'm not going to leave Paul
again, anyway.
All right, then, that's settled.
Spend the night at Linden with Seth.
He can pass the word back to Challoner.
Don't worry, Jenny.
We'll leave word for Greg there.
And Janet's place is the best place
for this fellow.
Isn't it?
Where's John?
Where's my pony?
I know I didn't see him all that much.
Well, he was away at school.
Even when he was at home,
he was off on the farms.
Well, he knew all the farmers.
And I was busy with the practice.
But even so,
it's as though he resents me.
Jenny, where's John now? Do you know?
Um, I think he's out exploring
with Jack.
And you had the foot-and-mouth here
just before the Death?
Yes.
Uh, I tried to take him round,
but he's sitting in the stable.
He won't shift.
Hello, John.
They've taken your pony, have they?
Tell you what, I've never
really seen round the farms.
Your mother was telling me
about Sam Higgins' place.
Um, friend of yours, remember?
You used to milk his cows.
Let's go and have a look, shall we?
You know what's happened,
don't you, John?
It's the foot-and-mouth. Remember?
It probably wiped out all his cattle.
Or they had to be killed.
You know that, don't you, John?
Cattle have to be killed
when there's foot-and-mouth?
Your mother probably had to help.
But you can't blame her
for that, can you?
I want to go back.
I thought he blamed you
for his pet cows being killed.
He wouldn't have known. He wasn't here.
Well, shall I take Walter's meal up
or will you?
Janet?
That must be it.
I wrote to his granny
saying John mustn't come home
because I didn't want him to see the
shooting of the cattle and the burying.
Well, he was due home, you see,
the day after
the foot-and-mouth broke out.
Obviously, he thought
I didn't want him back.
And his granny probably didn't tell him
about the foot-and-mouth.
- She probably didn't.
- Well, his granny died.
All he knew was that his mother had
forbidden him to come home again.
But Philip's told him
about the foot-and-mouth.
Oh, he doesn't understand.
And he won't listen to me.
He just stares.
I'll talk to him.
Ah! It's amazing, isn't it?
Looks just the same as it did
when you were here.
Remember the old saying
the camera never lies?
Aye, well, it did.
Quite often.
You know,
you can be certain of one thing,
you get it fixed in your head.
And then you're wrong.
Do you remember Alistair MacFadden?
- Ah, that man. Yes.
- Mmm-hmm.
He frightened you. Do you remember why?
Hubert said he was dangerous.
Like a tiger.
- So what did you do?
- Ran away.
- Bet you don't know what happened then.
- Yes, I do.
I stayed out all night.
In the tree house.
Oh, no, no, no.
I mean, what happened to Alistair.
- He left.
- Mmm-hmm. Do you know why?
Because we didn't trust him.
See, we believed that he'd killed you.
And that upset him.
And so he left.
Hubert went after him on his own
like a madman.
Of course, we didn't tell you at
the time 'cause you were too young.
Telling you now 'cause you're grown-up.
He's changed, though,
hasn't he, eh? Hubert?
The guy looked after Jenny.
Do you know, Jenny believes that Greg
doesn't want to come back to her?
- No!
- Mmm-hmm.
Well, we'll have to convince her,
won't we?
People believe some funny things.
Do you know, your mummy believes
that you don't love her?
And that you think she didn't want you
to come back from your granny's?
I know why, of course.
It's because there was
foot-and-mouth here.
She didn't want to upset you by seeing
your favourite cows destroyed.
She wrote to your granny,
telling her to wait
for a couple of weeks,
but then the Death came, didn't it?
She couldn't telephone or anything.
By the time she got down there,
it was too late.
You'd already gone.
Ah, it's funny
how people believe these things.
Wasn't that incredible?
I actually persuaded him.
Oh, I don't know. My powers, eh?
Look, I don't suppose I could...
No, no, no, no.
You're too deeply entrenched.
What?
Well, I just thought, you know,
if I can persuade John to see the facts,
then maybe I...
You know.
What are you talking about?
Well, you know how suspicious
you are about Greg.
You know, not wanting him and all that.
- Poor old Greg.
- Oh, shut up!
No, no, no. I know how you feel. No.
It's just that...
When I do find Greg, which I shall do,
how do I explain to him that his woman
doesn't want him any more?
I mean, she's such a suspicious woman,
this woman Jenny.
- Poor old Greg.
- Now look here, I think...
Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
Oh, Jenny, Jenny.
Don't worry, Jenny.
We'll find him.
We'll find him.
Um, let's see.
What is white, fluffy
and hangs in trees?