The Dead Lands (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Broken Promises - full transcript

(HAUNTING MUSIC)

(PATU SCRAPES)

MEHE: The dead, they sigh to me.

They tell me
to seek a warrior...

more monster than man...

(GROWLS)

And only he can
help me save my people.

There is a boy held captive
by three sisters.

You see, he knows the name of
the one who broke the world.

(SCREAMS)

- What is your tribe?
- Maiki! We are Maiki.



HINE: The Maiki are
creatures who serve Whiro.

So it's not just the dead
we fight, but a god too.

Who broke the world?

It was my father,
Te Kaiporangi Turoa.

Did you know that it was
my father who broke the world?

It's your destiny to
heal the world

and cut that man's throat and
offer his blood to the gods.

You will go to the Great Pa
and confront your father.

Be careful, Waka Nuku Rau.

You stand on the edge
of a precipice -

not only you, but the girl.

Why is Mehe so important to you?

KA: Not important to me,

but she'll be very important
to your father.



Father.

(GRUNTS)

I'm not your father;

I just sired you, boy.

(GASPS)

The moment I see him,
I'm going to kill him.

MEHE: Be the man
that you want to be,

not the man that you used to be.

Be that man now.

- So, he won't recognise you.
- WAKA: What if he does?

MEHE: Kill him.

I'll help.

Do I know you?

Not very likely.

There he is -

the great Waka Nuku Rau.

Whoa.

(GROWLS)

I am going to cut you
out of my lineage...

once and for all.

Do it, and I'll kill you.

He is the answer to our problem.

How can this thing help us?

He can go into the spirit place.

Clear it.

There's a tear in the earth, a
gathering place for the spirits.

This one I made, but it
connects the world of the living

and the world of the dead.

WAKA: Come if you dare!

(DEAD GROWL)

(GRUNTING)

So now you can heal the world.

And you...

Perhaps you were sent here
for a reason, boy.

You brought me to this place
from the start.

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS) It's not luck, is it?

Could be destiny.

WAKA: So you're saying
I was dead,

that I died... (PANTS)

And you resurrected me
because of the girl...

because of Mehe?

(WAKA GRUNTS)

Died?

(LOW, EERIE MUSIC)

(PANTING)

Father, I'm frightened.

I'll protect you, I promise.

Wait. My husband.

We must get the chosen ones
away from here.

Take all three of them.
Take them to our sacred places.

Keep them separate.
Don't wait for us.

Go!

(GRUNTS)

Run!

(PERCUSSIVE MUSIC)

- (RA SCREAMS)
- Ra!

(SCREAMS) Not my son! No!

No! No!

RA: Father, you promised!

HINENGANA: No!

HINENGANA: No!

WAKA: You've improved...

a little.

Are we friends?

Trust.

Truth.

That's friendship, not lies.

You can tell a good lie
when you want to.

- I know you're one of them.
- One what?

The dead.

Admit it.

You died,
and they sent you back.

I didn't have any choice in it.

Liar.

The dead do what they do.
Don't ask me why.

- (GROWLS)
- (GRUNTS)

How can I trust
anything you say?

(GRUNTS)

Don't.

Rely on yourself.

Don't depend too much on others.

You'll just get disappointed.

(MAN SPITS)

- What do you want?
- Oh, not me.

He wants you.

He wants you.

My son.

I'm not your son;
You just sired me.

Or have you forgotten
the words you used all my life?

I was wrong to say that.

Do you know what it meant
to be a boy, just a boy?

Shit on your words!

HINENGANA: My husband.

Eh.

He's right to say it.

I was a bad father,

full of my own importance,
my own self...

no thought for you
or your mother.

Help me be a better leader.

MEHE: Let's hear it.

You trust him,
but you don't trust me.

No.

I need you to do
something for me.

What?

Get three of my people.

I need them to repair the world.

Who are they?

Three shaman.

Young, like you.

They helped me make
the place of the spirits.

Without them...

- I can't heal the world.
- Get them yourself.

We tried. No one returns.

Lose a lot of warriors, do you?

Do this for me...

my son.

Help me make this right.

I'll do it.

Alone.

Hako will take you...

show you the way
to our sacred places.

But I...

I'm ready.

- MEHE: Idiot.
- WAKA: Shrew.

- You can't do this on your own.
- Nothing I do is good enough.

If I don't do it, I must;
If I do do it, I'm an idiot.

At what point did I ever say
that I wanted you

to tell me what to do?

- You need me!
- How?

To think for you.
Great fighter, but...

I don't need you.

Never did.

MOCKINGLY: 'I don't need you.
Never did.'

(BIRD CRIES, RURU CALLS)

There he is -
the fool as always.

(GRUNTS)

Can't I just sleep in peace?

Walk straight into your death,
then. Do it.

You don't want my help.

What are you going on about now?

Why didn't you kill your father
like you said you would?

Because I'm going to help him.

He's changed.

I've changed.

You can't trust that man.

- Do you hear me?
- I'm not a fool.

You're about to face
great terrors.

- What terrors?
- I'll tell you.

I'll help you.

- Well?
- When you tell me.

Tell you what?

I gave you protection against
the priestesses of Te Waonui.

(SCOFFS SOFTLY)
Those weren't protections.

I know.

You lied to me.

Yes, but who told you?

You distracted me with talk of
gods and other things before,

but now I need to know.

Who told you?

Or I swear I won't help you.

Some shit-eater named Ka.

Think you can play games
with the dead?

You promised
you'd speak only to me.

He's persistent.

You've risked everything
I've worked for.

You've worked for?

This Ka, what's he told you?

Speaks in riddles,
worse than you.

He said that
the girl is important.

You didn't know that,
now, did you?

Promise it,

now, once and for all,

that you will never
speak to him again.

Promise it

or we are done.

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

So...

these terrors I'm to face -
what are they?

How would I know?

Fool.

Waka.

Waka!

- What's wrong with you?
- Oh, uh, I don't like dying.

- What's wrong with you?
- Oh, uh, I don't like dying.

(EMBERS CRACKLE)

MEHE: Waka!

Where were you?

- Watching your father.
- Stay away from my father.

The man is like an eel.

Swear it.

Swear.

All right.

Yes.

Don't die, Waka Nuku Rau.

Don't die, Waka Nuku Rau.

(SOMBRE STRING MUSIC)

Let's go south.
As good a direction as any.

- What?
- Who are they to you and I, eh?

High-borns. (SPITS, SNIFFS)

They only care about themselves
and their class, not you and I.

- Never did.
- What are you talking about?

Let's run away,
leave them to their games.

We're going to find
these three shit-eaters,

and you're going to show me
the way. Now move!

(BIRDS FLUTTER)

All right.

(LOW, PULSATING MUSIC)

(LOW, PULSATING MUSIC)

Sorry, Waka.

TE KAIPO AND KAHI CHANT:
E ao, e ao.

E ao mai ko te po.

E ao, e ao.

E ao mai ko te po.

Aue!

Aue!

(THUD!)

Aargh!

(TE KAIPO GROANS, PANTS)

Spying on me?

You don't have to.

You're welcome.

I'll teach you.

I've seen it before.

I've seen it before.

The dead are drawn here.

Many of them.

In the day, they hide from
the sun, Tama-Nui-Te-Ra,

but at night, they gather here
and try to cross.

It's a strain to keep them out.

You think well of my son,
don't you?

He'll betray you, you know.

You don't know that.

He betrayed us.

Did he tell you that?

The tribe that gave him
everything he is.

You whipped him every day.

You whip a dog
so it knows its place.

He's not a dog.

I want to fix this world,
make it right.

What are you really doing here?

Why are you here?

Why did you come here,
to this place...

to see me...

if you didn't want to know?

You were drawn here,
towards the dead.

You feel it, don't you?

I see in you something
I've not seen or felt before.

You've been touched by the gods.

Come with me to the
place of the spirits.

I'll show you the truth.

(UNSETTLING MUSIC)

(UNSETTLING MUSIC)

You.

You think I don't know
one direction from another.

(GRUNTS)

You're leading me the wrong way.

Oh, uh, all right.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)

For your own good.
Think about that for one moment.

For your own good.

Oh, fine.

It's your death.
Why should I care? Hmm?

(PANTS)

But if it looks like you're
going to die, I'll abandon you.

- Don't think I won't.
- Oh, I believe you.

- Don't think I won't.
- Oh, I believe you.

HAKO: There,

the first of the sacred places.

The first of the sacred places.

There's no one here. Let's go.

(GROWLING IN DISTANCE)

You shouldn't have come.

It won't let you take me.

(GROWLING IN DISTANCE)

Oh.

(GROWLS)

That's not good.

Whitiwhitia te or a.

Whitiwhitia te mate.

(SPITS)

- Do you know who he is?
- Matua.

One of the greatest warriors
of our tribe.

Anana.

Whitiwhitia ko koe!

If you get a chance...

- help.
- (MATUA ROARS)

If you wanna get
yourself killed,

that's no affair of mine, but I
won't anger that fucking thing.

It's a good day to die.

(GRUNTS)

(ROARS)

(MATUA GRUNTS)

(WAKA GRUNTS)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(PULSING PERCUSSIVE MUSIC)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(ROARS)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(CRACKS NECK)

(SHOUTS)

(MUFFLED SHOUTING)

(MUFFLED SHOUTING)

(ROARS)

(ROARS)

Thanks for the help (!)

I've come to take you back.

You'll find the others
are the same.

The warriors protecting us,
they won't let us go.

They're possessed by the Maiki,

servants of the god Whiro.

And they wait.

For what?

They want what we have.

They want our world.

(BIRDS CRY)

- (GROANS)
- Papa.

(GROWLING)

Matua.

TE KAIPO: Close to the spirits.

Come to us.

(RURU HOOTS)

(RURU HOOTS)

What are you doing?

He killed the warrior.

But that thing that was in him,
it hides in the day,

but it always comes out
at night.

The circle will protect us.

Kei tuwhera mai te porowhita,

kei hua te wehi mutungakore.

Araia te kino.

Araia te mana o tua.

Whiria te rongo.

Whiria te rongo.

TE KAIPO: He aro tawhito.

He aro tipua.

He aro ki tua ke.

He aro ki tua ke.

No tenei pononga nau.

Ko Tumatakaka.

Ko Tumatauenga.

Ko Tumatakore.

Ko to Tu.

Homai...

ma tenei pononga nau.

It's safe.

My son has trained you
to be wary.

Good. You should be.

Trust nobody, not in this world.

Not family, not whanau.

Family is everything.

You said you'll show me
the truth, so show me.

You said you'll show me
the truth, so show me.

For centuries,

our people served Tu,
the god of war.

Killed, fought and
fallen in love with war.

A cycle, endless...

but I tried to stop it...

bring peace.

Have you seen our people
hiding in caves...

being hunted by the dead?

You haven't brought peace.
You have brought war.

How could the dead returning
make things better?

By being an army...

for me.

One army to unite our people.

Wars will disappear forever.

We'd be freed. Don't you see?

Do you want to know what I see?

Because of you,
our land is poisoned.

Because of you, our people
are scattered and broken.

And because of you, our children
are hunting their parents.

And because of you,
my father is gone.

And this peace you wanted
has brought nothing but war

to the living and the dead.

To the living and the dead.

(HAUNTING, MOURNFUL MUSIC)

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

May luck be your brother.

The guardian is called
Te Ripiripi, The Butcher.

The guardian is called
Te Ripiripi, The Butcher.

VOICE WHISPERS: 'Taurekareka.

'Slave.

'Aue!

'Ka kata te po I a koe.'

'Ka kata te po I a koe.'

I'm not coming with you.
Go away.

Come here.

- Get off me!
- Come here! (GRUNTS)

VOICE WHISPERS: Coward.

What did you say?

I didn't say anything,
dung-eater.

I'm trying to save you,
you stupid girl.

VOICE WHISPERS: Such a coward.

(THUD!)

(THUD!)

Are you going to kill me?

Kill?

No.

First I eats.

(GROWLS)

Aargh!

(GROANS IN PAIN)

(PANTS)

Mother...

where are you when I need you?

Think for yourself.

Think.

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

I can speak to the dead,
you know.

They told me about you...

said you'd sneak up...

said you were
afraid to fight me...

(GROWLS)

Because I'm Waka Nuku Rau...

and I've killed many
of you shit-eaters.

And now,

in the afterlife...

everyone knows...

- you're the coward. (LAUGHS)
- (GROWLS)

(GRUNTS)

- Now we fight.
- (ROARS)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(GROWLS)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

- Anyone skilled with healing?
- I am.

I am too.

(SCOFFS SOFTLY)

Get on with it, then.

Why are you doing this?

Because you want to please her?

Mehe. (CHUCKLES)

Yeah, you're thinking
with your cock. (CHUCKLES)

No.

Then what?

She believes in something.

- (SPLAT!)
- (GRUNTS)

- Dying miserably?
- Honour.

(GROANS SOFTLY)

And I want to believe it too...

want to believe that it's true,
even though I know it's not,

that there's honour
in the world. (GROANS)

A lot of fools have died saying
things like that, you know.

Maybe I'm a fool.

But if I succeed,
what does it make me?

HAKO: A famed and great warrior?

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

And every toa needs good men
to look after his interests,

don't they?

To share in the glory.

This one I'm to face...

what can you tell me
about him that can help?

Tumaro? Ooh.

He's huge.

He's a brute, believe me.

(SPLAT!)

(GROANS)

But he's slow.

Whue.

Whue.

HAKO: Waka.

HAKO: Waka.

Can you show me
how to protect myself

against these things at night?

Oh, they're powerful at night.
You know that.

I won't get any stronger
if I wait.

IHI WHISPERS: Mehe...

kill me.

Please.

Do it!

- (SOBS)
- (FLESH SQUELCHES)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC RISES)

They sigh to us...

the dead.

You know it.

You hear them too...

don't you?

You blame me for
your father's death.

I blame myself.

And your mother, grandmother,
all your ancestors from before?

What about them?

Would you like
to speak to them...

tonight?

Come.

Go away.

The dead call you.

You should hear their calls,
listen to their sighs...

because they want
to speak to you

just as much as you
want to speak to them.

Just as much as you
want to speak to them.

TUHAERE: E eke ki tona ma...

Haumi e,

hui e...

ALL: Taike e.

You sure you'll remember that?

You don't think I can
remember a few simple words

and how to draw a circle?

(GRUNTS)

If I don't return, take them
back and tell stories of me.

TUHAERE: The circle,
leave it unclosed...

or it won't enter.

So after you've killed it,
seal it in.

Do you understand?

WAKA: Kei hua te wehi
mutunga kore,

araia te kino,

araia te mana no tua.

Whiria te here pai.

(BIRD CRIES IN DISTANCE)

Whiria te rongo.

Kia eke ki tona ma...

Kia eke ki tona ma...

Haumi e,

hui e, tai-

(SCREECHES)

(DEAD GROWL)

(GROWLING CONTINUES)

(GROWLING CONTINUES)

Te wehi mutunga kore,

araia te kino,

araia te mana...

no tua.

Whiria te here pai.

Whiria...

Whiria te rongo.

Kia eke ki tona mau.
Kia eke ki tona ma...

Haumi e, hui e...

(BIRD SCREECHES)

Taiki e.

(DEAD GROWL)

WAKA: Come out!

Puta mai, Pokokohua!

Come out.

(GROWLS)

- (GROWLS)
- WAKA: Oh, you're big.

And you're ugly.

Your mother must
have wept bitter tears

when she squatted you
into the world.

(SHOUTS)

(WAKA GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(YELLS)

(YELLS)

(WAKA SHOUTS)

(GRUNTS)

(BOTH GRUNT)

(THUD!)

(SHOUTS, GRUNTS)

Kei tuwhera te porowhita...

(DEAD GROWL)

(DEAD GROWL)

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

(DEAD GROWL)

(DEAD GROWL)

I've come to take you back.

It's time to heal the world.
Understand?

How do you think it
will be done?

What do you mean?

With blood and sacrifice.

I didn't do all of this
just to see you die.

I didn't do all of this
just to see you die.

KAHI: Po noa nei

ka aumihi au.

Huihuia

mai

a Matariki.

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

You think I don't know
what I've done.

I know.

My ancestors are weeping...

my people are barred
from the afterlife

because of me...

mistakes I made.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

You are here for a reason.

The gods have willed it.

KAHI: O nga tapu ara...

kei te mihi au.

Huihuia mai...

a Matariki.

A Matariki.