The Last Czars (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Anarchy - full transcript

A young woman,
alone and deeply traumatized,

makes her way to the Landwehr Canal.

She has no money. No possessions.

But she has an incredible claim.

This woman says she is Anastasia,

the youngest daughter
of Russia’s last Czar.

It is my task to decide
if she is telling the truth.

Where did she get these?

The Von Kleist family.
They put her up for a while.

They believe that she’s Anastasia.

They were trying to prompt her memories.



When did you get this?

A patient at the Dalldorf asylum
gave it to her.

After that, she started saying
that she is Anastasia Romanov.

Did you do this?

I hope never to see him again.

Did you ever meet him, the mad monk?

Only once.

That was enough.

The monk had a very special place

in the Romanov household

because of the boy’s haemophilia.

He could do something
no one else could do...

Calm the boy and stop the bleeding.

The way Rasputin heals Alexei



is very mysterious.

But the actual secret lies in Alexandra.

Alexandra believes

that Rasputin is sent to her by God.

His confidence calms Alexandra.

And in turn, that soothes Alexei.

It’s all right. Come in.

I’m a simple peasant.

To be here...

I am honored that you trust me.

He gets sick.

I can’t think...

...or feel.

I don’t know who I am.

You are his mother.

You're also keeping the biggest secret
in Russia.

It is the burden you must carry.

But now...

...now it is mine as well.

Rasputin’s timing,
when he meets the royal couple,

could not be better.

It’s the revolutionary year of 1905.

Nicholas and Alexandra live
in a gilded cage.

Rasputin is this amazing,
calming influence.

Alexandra believes...

that when he speaks,
he speaks the word of God.

Alexandra doesn’t want
very many people to know

that Alexei is ill
and that he has haemophilia.

And this is what really puts them
in the position

to start listening to Rasputin,

who claimed to be able to cure Alexei.

Girls.

Hey.

Father Grigori.

Let’s take a walk.

No one knew what was wrong with Alexei,

they knew something was wrong,
but didn’t know what.

And much of Nicky and Alix’s behavior
was inexplicable

unless you knew this terrible secret.

It’s a really, really dangerous moment

and potentially catastrophic
for the dynasty.

Your visits are causing quite a stir.

Mm.

But I don’t care.

I need you here.

Unless you have other responsibilities?

My family in Siberia.

I’ll make sure they’re looked after.

You are the only one
that can protect Alexei.

Nothing else matters.

The Romanovs don’t understand

what is truly happening
outside the palace walls,

just how much anti-imperial sentiment
is brewing out there.

After Bloody Sunday,

and the disastrous war with Japan,

Russia is in open revolt.

Nicholas shows himself to be bloody

and absolutely merciless

in suppressing the revolution,

and something like 15,000 people
are killed...

Fire!

...with Nicholas encouraging
every piece of cruelty.

There are parts of the country

that the army has to literally reconquer
by force of arms...

...killing thousands and thousands
of innocent civilians.

And Nicholas believes that Jews
are one of the biggest problems in Russia,

and that most Russian problems,
including economic inflation

and other challenges,
are caused by Jewish conspiracies.

Anti-semitism had been
a growing fetish in the Romanov family

during the nineteenth century,
and Nicky embraced it totally.

But this brought him into conflict
with his prime minister, Peter Stolypin,

who was a great hope of the dynasty.

You can’t resign.

You ordered me to take this job, sir,
you cannot order me to stay.

What would it take to persuade you?

Respect.

You ignored my plea
to stop the violence in the streets.

And now I learn you are funding
violent pogroms against the Jews.

I am doing what needs to be done.

They are being murdered in their hundreds.

They are terrorists, they throw bombs.

Maybe if I was forced to live like them,
I would throw bombs too.

Soldiers are mutinying
in Krondstadt.

Workers are striking again
in St. Petersburg.

The peasants are in open revolt.

And this will happen again and again,

we deal with the cause.

Which is?

Russia needs to change.

It has changed.

I gave them the Duma!

What more can I do?

Reform.

Give the people what they want.

Food to eat, land to grow crops on...

education.

Father Grigori says the people will
follow their Tsar forever.

You trust him?

He’s a peasant.

He understands them.

Sir, the people are changing.

If we do not change too,
they will rise up again.

Stolypin could be the man

to save the Romanov dynasty.

He certainly had the talents to do so.

He had a vision
of creating a strong monarchy

based on a popular foundation.

But Nicholas and Stolypin agree

that they must suppress
the revolution ruthlessly,

and that made his job as reformer-in-chief
an extremely dangerous one.

We are making real progress in purging
this terror.

They even have a nickname
for the hangman’s noose...

"Stolypin’s Necktie".

Now, we must win the people back.

Fight just as hard for reform,
for our children,

for the next generation...

My daughter, Natalya.
I’m coming, I’m coming now.

The next generation are depending
on us to fix...

- Go, go.
- ...this blood-stained country.

We cannot let...

Ha!

The entire façade of Stolypin's dacha

falls in this huge explosion

and dozens of guests are killed.

Stolypin's own daughter
is terribly injured.

The crackdown that follows
is incredibly brutal.

We must fight this anarchy,

and create a great Russia!

Reunited, reformed, and reborn!

So, for those who think
they can paralyze this government,

I have two words for you...

Not afraid!

Stolypin understands the problems

and the scale of the problems
facing Russia.

He has ideas for how to solve them.

But doesn't have Nicholas’ full backing,

partly because Nicholas is listening
to Rasputin in the background.

What the...

How dare... how dare you?

How dare you? How dare you?

Who sent you?

Who sent you here?

The Czar.

No!

You stay the hell away
from my daughter.

Stay away.

Stolypin is horrified
by the rise of Rasputin.

He realizes that Rasputin is developing
some rather serious influence

throughout the court

and actual political power
through his influence on the royal family.

I don’t understand.

Why risk a scandal in the royal household?

Do some digging, will you?

Quietly.

Find out what Rasputin wants.

The fight between Stolypin and Rasputin

is a battle for Nicholas’ soul.

And it’s also a battle
for influence over his decision-making.

Remember, that at this point,
the Czarevich’s disease is still secret.

Grigori, for centuries, the church has
been there for the Romanov family.

So, that when the Czar finds comfort
in someone new,

we need to be sure that we’re all...

on the same page.

I'll listen to their prayers.

That’s all.

Bullshit! You will listen to me.

Or I will send you back
to the nothing you came from.

Then we’ll see
who the Czar truly relies on.

And I will tell you now,
it’s not some filthy starets.

Hm!

Are you sure about that?

Over the next five years,

Rasputin establishes himself
as a bit of a guru

in Saint Petersburg’s high society,

he’s a kind of priest,
counselor, confidant.

Most of his followers were women

and they were absolutely captivated
by his very straightforward personality,

his hypnotic powers,
his ability to understand them,

to listen to them, to caress them.

All the while, Empress Alexandra
is becoming ever more dependent on him

and particularly,
on his care of their young son.

Words fail me, Father.

When I think of all you have done,

the joy you bring to our family,

I cannot begin to thank you.

Words are what I need most, Father.

Your words, of reason and calm.

And I need to hear them every single day.

What a beautiful morning! Ah?

And what stunning, stunning ladies!

Does your husband know you’re here,
Mrs. Semenov?

Countess.

Mrs. Kuznetsov is most excited
about your proposal.

She’ll be along shortly.

Hello.

So, first in the queue.

Rasputin’s sexual appetite is legendary.

He becomes this, kind of a...
leader of a sex cult, almost,

in Petersburg during that time.

It started with headaches, er...

I just feel so tense all the time.

My doctor says it’s common hysteria.

Well, there's nothing common about it.

But also...

nothing I can’t heal.

Please.

Then let God in.

Let him purge your soul.

Cleanse you.

Use temptation.

Let his heat warm your bones
and charge your blood.

Hold yourself. Feel God.

And let his love enter you.

Push inside you.

Fill you.

Let the spirit move through you.

I love you.

You love God.

Am I shameful?

No.

God never degrades. He only purifies.

God has moved in you.

And he moves in me too.

I can feel him, can you feel him?

Once he moves
through the society ladies in Petersburg,

Rasputin is an extremely dangerous person
for the prestige of the Romanov House.

Stolypin thinks
of course Nicholas will see sense

and get rid of Rasputin.

But we’re not really dealing
in the realm of reason here.

Nicholas and Alexandra
are incapable of understanding

the degree to which their private life
is a public matter.

Are you sick?

Just from worry.

Sometimes I think the only thing
between me, Nicky, and sheer oblivion...

...is you.

There had long been rumors

that not only was Rasputin a lewd figure,

who had all sorts of affairs and,
you know,

acted in all sorts of inappropriate ways
with women,

but that he was having
an affair with the Czarina herself.

Our Father,

who art in heaven...

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come...

thy will be done...

on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day... our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses.

Rasputin wields enormous power
over Alexandra,

but there’s no way he uses this

to begin some sort of sexual relationship.

It is a profoundly, if you will,

spiritual sort of relationship,

without a physical quality to it,

other than a sense of tenderness.

Their relationship had become one where
she depended on him,

much like one might depend
on a psychiatrist or a counsellor today.

Father Grigori, how can I ever thank you
for what you have done?

Again!

Again! Ah!

My heart aches to see you again.

To fall asleep on your shoulder.

I know I have sinned many times.

I am weak.

But don’t abandon me.

I love you and believe in you.

And I kiss you warmly.
I am your child. Alix.

There is every risk,
as he continues his hedonistic behavior,

that this will cause a scandal.

You had the police follow him?

In his village, he was charged with theft
and blasphemy.

That file details several accusations
of sexual assault and even rape.

All lies to discredit him.

I saw his filthy hands
grope my own daughter!

I’m concerned
he is comforting your wife, sir.

I would rather have ten Rasputins
than one of my wife’s episodes.

Don’t you see?

His presence here is damaging you.

It is rumored he’s her lover.

Well, they can say what they like.

I know the truth!

Please.

Meet with him.

Give him another chance.

In many ways, what we have here,
is statesmanship facing faith.

This is a battle for Nicholas’ mind.

These accusations are totally false.

I am a simple holy man.

From what I hear,
you are neither simple nor holy.

I talk and I listen.

That’s all.

Well, listen to me,

for the sake of Russia,

you need to leave the Czar
and his family alone.

I knew a man like you back in my village,

a magistrate.

We did not get on.

What did you do? Fuck his wife?

We had a clash of faiths.

You...

Fucking vermin.

You will leave this city

in 48 hours,

or I shall have you arrested.

This, priest.

This is power.

Only God knows what real power is.

And death rides with you.

Stolypin is, in many ways,
a reasonable man,

who sees the state of things in Russia.

To this day, many people believe Stolypin
was the last hope of the Romanov Dynasty.

We’ll never know
because he is not around long enough.

You get Stolypin here.

You make him reverse the order.

And then you fire him.

What for?

Insulting our friend.

I can’t fire him, Sunny.

He is the most capable prime minister
I’ve had.

I need him.

And our son needs Grigori.

Long live anarchy!

Get a doctor! Go!

Happy to die for the Czar.

Someone!

And death rides with you.

After Stolypin is shot
in the Kiev Opera in 1911,

he still fights for his life
for three more days.

When he finally dies,
it means not only the end to the reforms,

but also, the fact that Rasputin
will gain more influence on the Czar.

Your Reverence...

I do find these meetings
a little inconvenient.

What do you need?

There’s a dramatic confrontation

between Germogen, Iliodor,
and Rasputin

that takes place in Petersburg
at the end of 1911.

They have decided this is their moment
to bring Rasputin down.

Our meetings with the Czar have been
a little irregular lately.

We were wondering...

Shall I tell you what you really need?

You need to start treating the Czar
like your divine leader,

not a cash register.

You need to start treating the Empress
like a goddess,

not a source of gossip.

But mainly,
you need to start treating me...

with some fucking respect.

You were nothing without us.

And, as God is my witness,
you will be nothing again.

Get the fuck off me!

Unfortunately for Rasputin,
Iliodor sees these letters.

And he then uses them as a weapon
to get back at Rasputin

and leaks them to the public.

These letters seem
to suggest a deep affection

between Alexandra and Rasputin,
and depending on how we read them,

they could be read as the letters
of one lover to another lover.

"My heart aches to see you again..."

"To fall asleep on your shoulder."

The exposure of the intimacy
of the relationship with Rasputin

exposes the family itself,
and what was really happening

inside Nicholas and Alexandra’s court.

And it isn’t a pretty sight.

"I know I have sinned
many times, that I am weak."

"I kiss you warmly.
I am your child. Alix."

Jesus Christ, Nicky!

Is she actually an idiot?

Or does she want to bring down
the whole dynasty?

It’s... regrettable.

No, Nicky!

Losing one’s umbrella is regrettable!

This is the Empress of all Russia
doing God knows what with a vagrant!

We don’t just regret this kind of thing,
we burn for it!

Oh!

They’ve twisted everything.

I know that.

The problem is no-one else does.

The people will never stop loving you.

The people will never forget this.

We are humiliated.

And so is he!

Don’t you understand?

He is hated because we love him.

What will happen next time Alexei bleeds?

Who will help us then?

Nicky!

Please.

It’s for the good of Russia that he stays.

Look at it.

It is precisely for that reason
he has to leave.

What’s happened?

What have you done?

I thought the Czarina needed you.

She does.

And she will do again.

Alexei, careful.

Anastasia, stop.

Why not?

Because I want it.

It's mine.

No, it's not, it's mine.

Mama, Anastasia and Maria
are fighting again.

- You have to learn to share.
- Anastasia, Maria, please.

Alexei... Alexei!

As a haemophiliac, any bruise, any fall,

any bump can lead to a bleed that is,

first of all, agonizing.

But also, these can lead to death,
and a terrible death too.

This is a nightmare scenario
for Nicky and Alix...

I’m dying, aren’t I?

...and puts the dynasty in danger.

No, my darling, you’re fine.

Promise it won’t hurt anymore.

HAEMOPHILIA

Your son is seriously ill

and you’re working.

It’s a medical bulletin.

The people need to be told
if the Csarevich...

If you’re going to do anything,

then think about the fact
that you sent away the only man

in the world who could save our son.

Get him here, any way you can.

Wait there.

I'll need to send one back.

I personally believe
that he absolutely believed in himself,

and that that belief was convincing
to everybody else,

and self-fulfilling,

even from many thousands
of miles away.

Dear Tsarina.

God has seen your tears and prayers.

Do not grieve.

O holy King,

compassionate
and all-merciful Lord Jesus Christ,

Son and Word of the living God,
Who desirest not the death of a sinner...

Do not allow the doctors to bother him.

The little one will not die.

Hey.

The arrival of Rasputin’s telegram

seemed to coincide
with the stopping of his bleeding

and his emergence from a near death.

Get out of here.

Get out of here, both of you.

Father Grigori is with us.

Alexandra certainly believed,
and probably Nicky believed too,

that this was a miracle,
that this was God’s work,

and that Rasputin could stop
the bleeding of the child.

I think you have to make a decision.

Do you believe he had healing powers?

Or do you not believe in such things?

What’s this? What are we celebrating?

Our beautiful new gemstones. Look.

From Father Grigori. We all have one.

They're so pretty,
they're all different colors.

All princesses should have jewels, Daddy.
It’s the law.

Oh, well, it’s very kind of him
to send you presents.

Everyone loves surprises, Nicky.

Do you want yours?

It’s good to be back.

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