The River (2012): Season 1, Episode 4 - A Better Man - full transcript

There's magic out there.

REPORTER: Beloved television host,

Emmet Cole,
has been reported missing.

We can find his ship,
we can find him.

CLARK: The network will pay,
but they want every moment on camera.

I am not leaving this close
to finding your father.

Well, it's no wonder
we're not going anywhere.

Look at this. These vines,
they've grown all over the ship.

We're not going anywhere like this.

(GRUNTS) God, this stuff is so thick!

(GRUNTS)



Well, it's no wonder
we couldn't move.

Look at this rope. It's insane.

Oh, it's jammed
between the prop and the rudder.

Got it, got it, got it, got it.

Okay, that should do it.

(STRETCHING SOUND)

What?

That's impossible.

You see this, right?

What the hell is going on?

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

AJ: Further up, mate.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)



You're trading my reading lamp.

You said you'd pay
for everything, Clark.

Turn that off.

Locals don't like being filmed,
you know better.

Well, then he's come
to the wrong boat, hasn't he?

Hey. Happy?

No. But your crew will be.

I don't hear anyone complaining.

They're tired, they're scared.

You keep their stomach full,
they follow you anywhere.

I think I know what my crew needs.

Yeah? What's that?

A win. A lead.

Something so that we know we're on
the right path to finding Emmet.

Great. Do you have one?

Do you, Lincoln?

Nope.

Using Emmet's recent videos
to match geography

and his journal,
whatever we could translate.

So far we've checked everywhere
we could but no,

no sign of Emmet or his crew.

No leads.

So our only choice is to head into
this uncharted region

and draw the map as we go.

We should just pull over
until we know where we're going...

- We can't just stop.
- We're wasting fuel.

We're on a rescue mission,
not a jungle cruise.

I know what the mission is.

Do you?

Because you're supposed
to be the head of security

and the only thing that you seem
to be securing is dinner.

Lincoln, would you please...

Uh, it's not really my call,

but um, there's a fork up ahead in
the river so which way should we go?

KURT: South.
TESS: North.

(CHUCKLES)

The problem isn't just
that we don't have a lead.

It's that we don't have a leader.

When Emmet was around?

There was no question.
He was captain.

He gave an order, everyone followed.

But this group,
it's just a lot of suggestions.

There's plenty of cooks.

And not one chef.

So, was that your choice
or Kurt's to head south?

Why would you ask that?

Well, if Kurt made the choice, doesn't
that mean he's actually in charge?

I'm captain.

So, Emilio,
who's captain around here, then?

Doc is the captain.
Even when he's not here.

This is his ship.

If I lead, I do it by example.
If people follow, it's not my fault.

The one who sticks his neck out
usually gets it cut off.

Some men find it difficult
taking orders from a woman.

Something about being on a ship
and all that testosterone.

Each of them trying to prove
how big their fishing poles are.

I can't pull it out.

Can someone come down here
and help me?

Isn't he huge?

Someone help me. I got him.

Give me that.

CLARK: So, uh...

Is this your role on the ship, then?
You're what? The lackey?

Well, someone's got to do the work.

But it's a bit menial
for a doctor, right?

Yeah, well, I help where I can.

Wow, deferential to the point
of non-existence.

You've had one foot off this ship
since you stepped aboard, haven't you?

Yeah, well, this is my dad's boat.

It's his life.

Once we find him,
I'll go back to mine.

You're afraid of stepping
into his shoes?

Lincoln? Well, I don't even think
he's interested.

That's not what I asked.

Is he capable of stepping up?
Being a leader?

I'm his mom.

He's always gonna be my baby.

So who would you like
to be captain, then?

Does that have to be one person?

By definition, yes, it's a captain.

I think we work well together.
Rowing all in the same direction.

Aren't you a ray of sunshine.

My dad says
that you have to use the down-time

to remember that we're only human.

You know, we need to eat, sleep.

Shag.

You're a pig.

Fair enough.

Well, look, if you had a vote,

who on this boat would you trust to
lead the way to finding your father?

Not you.

(GUITAR PLAYING)

Well, you know, right now,
they're all trying to get along.

Go with the flow.
Sing around a campfire.

Emmet, he may have known about
plants and animals and all that stuff.

But me,

I know about people.

And people, basically at their core,
are (BLEEP).

And usually,
it's just a matter of time

before something comes along
to make them show it.

(GASPS)

What's that now?

- AJ, give me the camera.
- Tell me that's not a person.

TESS: Oh, my God!
That's Jonas Beckett.

One of Emmet's cameramen
from the last crew.

He killed himself?

Lost in the jungle.

Sometimes it's the only choice.

Unless someone did it to him.

LINCOLN: There's no decay.
Minor discoloration.

This was recent. Few days at most.

(GASPS)

(GASPS) Oh, my God!

He's alive! Get him down!
He's alive! Get him down!

(CHOKING)

(JONAS GROANING)

Oh, my God!

- He's alive! Get him down!
- Oh, my God!

Mom! Come closer!

Okay, watch his head.

Fever, spasms.
He's definitely got malaria.

Who knows how long
he's been out there.

Okay, I'll radio for help.

Tell Emilio to prep the engines.

Got it.

LINCOLN: His liver's failing.

The other organs will follow if we don't
get him hydrated and stabilized.

Watch his head, watch his head.

I need the bag.

- Mom, cut his shirt.
- Yep.

Hold him.

TESS: Is he gonna make it?

Honestly?

I don't know.

Emmet Cole, I'll do anything
to get the shot.

Anything.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

You ready?

Oh, yes. I am ready.

So, Jonas, tell me about yourself.

I knew that there was more to life
than Fromin's Deli in Encino.

So I'm at this hostel in Phuket

and there's this exquisite
French woman,

and I know we're supposed
to hate the French, but...

Are we still supposed
to hate the French?

How could you hate a girl
with the name of Genevieve Pursot?

I mean, her name alone sounds like

just sweaty, raw, hammock sex.

She swore that there was this
stunning waterfall,

not half a day's hike
from the hostel.

And it was. Stunning.

Picture Garden of Eden.

I don't know if it was because
I was dehydrated from the hike

or if I just wanted to impress Genevieve
'cause I thought she'd (BLEEP) me,

I thought it was a good idea
to dive off this waterfall,

this 40-foot waterfall!

Broke my radius in two places.

Crashed a scooter on Santorini.

An ambitious bruschetta recipe.

Surfing or, rather, falling,
I should say, in Razorbacks.

Yeah, the coral in Kahana Bay
is unkind.

I think you just wanted
to show me your abs.

It's a miracle he's alive.

CLARK: I know what you're thinking.
One of Emmet's crew, first solid lead.

What do you know about him, Clark?

Nothing. He's a stranger to me.

Emmet must have hired him
after he fired me and the crew.

So you didn't see him
on any of the tapes?

We only logged
the recent ones of Emmet.

You're kidding.

AJ, cull any footage
with Jonas on it, would you?

See what we can find out
about our new friend here.

On it.

Cell phone holds GPS coordinates
like bread crumbs.

It might have pictures, video.

If he was with Emmet,
this might tell us where to find him.

Blood pressure and temperature
is coming down.

Breathing is normalizing.

Good enough for now.

I've seen Cinchona trees offshore.

We can make quinine.

Quinine? Kurt, we don't even know
what stage malaria he has.

How to dose?

We mix that with
the antibiotics we gave him,

we could tax his system.
He could have a CVA.

I've treated malaria.
I've survived malaria.

How many cases have you seen?

In Chicago.

Quinine.

Cinchona tree.

(GRUNTS)

CLARK: So you really think this phone
can help us find Emmet?

We're out of leads.

You got any better ideas?
Let me know.

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.

Magus Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
We need an immediate medivac.

South 43 west 112.

Mortar? Pestle?

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
Can anybody hear me?

Here, let me...

Hey, you're bleeding.

I just nicked myself. It's nothing.

That's not nothing. Come here.

We need to get Jonas to a hospital.
Any luck here?

I interviewed Jonas.

I hired him.

Right.

My dad wouldn't let me
come on his expedition.

I wanted to help wherever I could.
You know, pick a good crew. But...

Hey, you know none of this
is your fault, right?

You know that.

Oh, this looks good.
What's going on here?

(SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

Okay!

(BOTH SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

Looks like something's got
her spooked.

Loaded another Jonas tape, boss.

Clark?

I prefer boss.

Wanna roll it?

(BUTTON CLICKS)

You're getting this, right?

JONAS: Oh, yeah!

(CHUCKLES)

(INSECT BUZZING)

Jonas!

Well, it wasn't me!

You better watch your back.

Fabulous! We have a blooper reel.

Mmm-hmm. Stay tuned.

JONAS: Oh, my God!

An Elder funeral.
This is unbelievable.

I got to get this.

Hey, hey!

God! Just show some respect.

The Amazonas' funeral rites
are sacred.

The Elder walks into the jungle
to die alone.

Yeah, and nobody's ever
filmed it before.

For a reason, son.

Hey, you hired me to shoot, okay?

And they won't even know I'm there.
We could score a Peabody.

Death needs dignity.

Not ambition.

Don't shoot anything.

Give me the camera.

Sorry, Emmet. I'm getting my Peabody.

That's nice.

Seems like your kind of shooter.

Not exactly a candidate for suicide.

Hmm.

Do you think this tribe
strung him up?

Or something?

Or something.

Cinchona. Good enough for now.

Why aren't we moving?

Mom, listen to me,
we have to turn back.

Get to where the radio worked,
get a medivac.

It's not that simple.

We have to save Jonas, Mom.

Of course we do.

Then we go up river.

I need to make absolutely certain
I'm making the right choice here.

Mom, it's three days' travel.

Right, exactly. Three days.

A day to resupply, three days back.

That's one week we lose
trying to find your father.

Okay, but Jonas alive
makes up for the time lost.

He can tell us where Dad was.
Or at least where he was heading.

Seconds count out here, right?

If we had been
one minute later finding Jonas,

he would be dead, right?

One minute?

And you're sure you can't
treat him on board?

Yes. Mom, yes. He'll die.

Emilio, turn us around.

EMILIO: Si.

You don't know what it feels like.

One wrong choice could mean...

Mom, I know.

(THUD)

What the hell was that?

Oh!

Must have broken his neck
flying into the window.

Come on, come on!

TESS: Oh, my God!

Why the hell are birds
dropping out of the sky?

Don't know, it could be cold weather.
Lightning.

And they, what,
forgot their little bird jackets?

LENA: I think I know what happened.

Just spotted it on the radar.
We're in the path of a massive storm.

Flash floods, squalls.

Well, that explains the birds.

Okay, we're mooring now.

We're gonna be in the thick of it
in an hour.

Everybody, you know the drill.

Battening down
the proverbial hatches.

It's a boat.
These are actual hatches.

You think Jonas can tough it out?

He's gonna have to, yeah.

(SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

(TAPE FAST-FORWARDS)

Okay!

Whoa, what is that?

(TAPE REWINDS)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(TAPE REWINDS)

Come on, come on. Come on. Come on.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(TAPE LOOPING)

Kurt.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MOTOR REVVING)

CLARK: Jahel?

(CLARK SPEAKING SPANISH)

Jahel?

The hanging man. It's nothing.

It's a fairy tale they teach children
so they don't steal.

(CLARK SPEAKING)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

EMMET: Jonas?

JONAS: They won't even know
that I'm there.

Look, this could score us a Peabody.

Death needs dignity. Not ambition.

You're not shooting anything.
Give me the camera.

Okay.

(BUTTON CLICKS)

(WOMAN SPEAKING)

(SOBBING)

EMMET: Hang on, Rabbit!

(SCREAMING)

I warned you, Jonas!

You put all our lives in danger.

I warned you!

(COUGHS)

- Hey! Hey, there you are.
- (GROANS)

You shouldn't be wandering around.
Let's get you back.

I'm all right, I'm all right.
Just give me a second.

Oh! (EXHALES DEEPLY)

I thought I was dead.

Thank you for saving my life, doc.

Yeah, well,
I'm not really a doctor yet.

I know who you are, Chicago.

Your dad was always bigging up
his kid at med school.

Top of his class,

wasting his talents
in a windowless lab.

(COUGHS)

What happened here?

This place looks like I feel.

Yeah. Well, how do you feel?

Malaria-ish.

You're lucky to be alive.

What the hell happened
to you out there?

What story do you want to hear?

There's more than one?

I can lie to you.

Why would you do that?

Hey, what have you seen out there?

What have you seen?

I know that look, man.

You're thinking,

"What am I gonna say to my friends
back home over drinks?"

You know, sometimes it's okay
to lie, right?

Sometimes it's your only choice.

Morals have a different compass
down here.

Like, you want me to tell you
that I got separated from the crew.

That I got lost in the jungle,
and I was sick.

Suicide was my only way out because
that's what makes sense, all right?

And the truth?

The truth?

I don't remember how I got lost.

Or when. (CLEARS THROAT)

Which scares me even more.

Storm's getting close.

Everything's tied down.
We're as ready as we can be.

LINCOLN: Hey.

Look who's awake.

God, I was worried.

Lena.

When did you re-crew?

Where is Emmet? Where's Rabbit?
Where's Manny?

What did I say? Where is everyone?

(STUTTERS)
Emmet, the crew disappeared.

Everyone? Your dad, too? Russ?

Jonas, Emmet's tapes show you were
the first to get separated.

But that was months ago.

Months?

I've been out here for months?

I guess, somewhere after eating
the one thousandth earth worm,

it all starts to blend together.

Jonas, I need you to help me.

We need you to tell us
anything you can

about what Emmet was doing here
and where he was headed.

- Mom?
- Where he...

Jonas doesn't remember much.

I wasn't exactly inner circle.

Emmet talked about magic,
tribes, legends that were real.

Never any specifics. He was cagey.

You've seen his journal.

It's all coded.

All he told us is that
we were on a path.

Now, I don't know what that is

and I'm not sure
how much I can help you.

You must know something.

I'm just the cameraman.

EMILIO: Hey, everyone!

Take a look at this.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Storm's coming.

It's coming fast.

Now it's coming really fast!

(BUZZING)

Come on, get inside!

Yeah, sure, I made rounds in the ER,
but I was more interested in research.

CLARK: Is this a pattern?

Avoiding conflict?

No. I discovered tandem B-one SINEs
in the mus musculus genome.

I'm sorry, I nodded off there.

Why would you want to do lab work

when you could be out there
saving lives?

I am saving lives.

(BUZZING CONTINUES)

Here, come on! Get inside.

All the vents sealed?

Yeah, this is the last one.

Ew.

Okay, everyone stay calm.

The storm brought the bugs in
with the headwinds.

They're swarming to flee.

It'll pass.

CLARK: And what if this isn't
a normal storm?

This all started
when Jonas came aboard.

What if he's causing it?

Yeah, because I control bugs.

Jahel says he's bad news.

She says we ought
to toss him overboard.

Look, we've been
on the Boiúna long enough,

I don't know what's possible anymore.

All I know is,
when that girl gets scared, I listen.

Jahel?

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

What? Him?

How can we blame one guy?
How could this possibly be his fault?

(CLATTERING)

Watch his head. Watch his head!

A pulmonary edema.

He's overdosing on quinine, Kurt.

He needs oxygen. Now.
Someone, please, oxygen?

Scuba gear.

I need epinephrine and morphine.

There's no morphine.

Sorry, this is really gonna suck.

(GASPING)

(JONAS COUGHS)

Listen, I don't care
what your boy says,

something is not right
about that Jonas.

Emmet trusted him.

Emmet thought he was an (BLEEP).

Emmet thought you were an (BLEEP).

Memory loss? He's hiding something.

Well, if he dies
we'll never know what.

Or find Emmet.

Clark, I know you think
this is still your show,

but it's my rescue.

Listen to me,
I'm gonna get his cell phone,

and maybe that will tell us
what he really knows.

Good. All right, fine.

(BUZZING CONTINUES)

Okay!

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

Well, it's not a nasal cannula,
but it will do.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Lincoln.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

What? Now?

(EXHALES)

"El Colgado."

Come on!

Where the bloody hell are you?

TESS: Clark?

Clark?

Listen, my damn footage
just disappeared.

Tapes just don't bloody
disappear like this.

You need to watch this. Clark!

What?

I found this on Jonas' cell phone.

Sorry, Emmet.
But I'm getting my Peabody.

(KURT CONTINUES)

Oh, wow!

- The bugs have gone.
- (THUNDER RUMBLING)

The storm's coming.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

Clark?

What is that?

Is that a noose?

(JAHEL SPEAKING SPANISH)

He stole a soul. He's a thief.

The Boiúna won't stop
until it gets him back.

It will kill us all to get him.

I didn't do anything wrong.

He's right.
He was just doing his job.

He stole my footage.

There is something
he doesn't want us to see.

- Where is it?
- Hey.

- I don't have it.
- Come on.

- You! Where is it?
- I don't have it.

Where is it?

You might want
to take a look at this.

RABBIT: The vine's got me!

EMMET: Hang on, Rabbit!

(SCREAMING)

I warned you, Jonas!

You put all our lives in danger.

JONAS: Emmet, please don't!

You can't leave me here, Emmet!

You bastard, don't leave me!

Turn it off, Russ.

Emmet, please!

No!

Turn it off!

You were hanging there
this whole time?

All I remember is pain.

You can't even imagine
how much you just want it to end.

I prayed for...

Look, I don't deserve this.

Emmet threw you off the ship.

I told you, man.

Sometimes it's better to lie.

Hey, hey! Stop.
What are you doing to him?

If the jungle wants him back,
we give him back.

No, don't. You can't...

What if it's just a storm, Kurt?

You saw what happened.
You saw what he did.

Yeah, well, anything
to get the shot? Right?

You would have done the same.

Yeah, well, I didn't.
Are you gonna risk our lives for him?

Your own mother? For him?

Get inside. Get in here.

None of us are perfect.

We're all arrogant, we're all greedy
and we're all afraid.

But we can't do this.
We can't leave a man to die.

AJ, turn the cameras off.

And this is what you want, right?
Drama?

Look, if you're gonna send
a man to his death,

you might as well get it on film.

You saw what Emmet did.
He's the captain.

And he couldn't solve this.

Well, then he didn't try hard enough!

And he was wrong.

But we have to try. Don't you see?

Jahel?

Lena?

(WAVES CRASH)

We just lost a mooring.

So, that's four votes
for tossing him.

I didn't say that.

You didn't not say it either.

This isn't a vote!

Mom, come on, please.
They'll listen to you.

It's not her decision.

Excuse me?

I'll play along
with "Captain Tess" when I can,

but this is not the time
to indulge vanity, all right?

Jonas is our best hope
for finding Emmet, Russ and the crew.

Yes. Yeah, I can help.
I can help you.

Okay, Jonas. You tell me
what Emmet was doing here.

He was looking for magic.

You told me that already, Jonas.

No. Listen.

He was obsessed with the idea
that it comes from one place.

He wanted to find it.

He called it the...

What did he call it? The Source.

The Source? What Source?

The source of magic? I don't know.

Where?

Where?

Here. Here, this is where
he wanted to go. Right here.

That's all I know.

That's all you know?

That's all I know. I swear.

Mom?

Get him off my ship.

We can't do this.

I'm not gonna risk your life,
Lincoln.

We could all die here.
This is the choice.

- I'm sorry, Jonas.
- No.

I am sorry.

But saving Emmet is more important
than dying for Jonas.

No, please!
Don't let them take me, please!

No, no. We can't do this.
We can't be murderers!

He made a mistake.

He doesn't deserve
to be tortured for it.

I don't like guns pointed at me.
Especially my own.

We can't give into fear.
Dad did and I won't.

(WAVE CRASHES)

TESS: Lincoln!

I'm sorry!

- Jonas, wait!
- Jonas, the phone!

- Jonas!
- No!

Don't let him take the phone!

Jonas!

This is all my fault.

If this is what it takes
then I'll go back into the noose...

I can't let anyone else
get hurt because of me.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

No! The phone!
Not the phone! Jonas!

No! No, no!

Oh, no! No!

Jonas!

- (GASPING)
- Get him out.

He's breathing.

I could use another cameraman.

(SCOFFS)

You tried to kill me
and now you want to offer me a job?

And a beer.

(BLEEP) you.

Fine.

Cheers.

Why are you looking at this again?

I don't know why. I just...

You know, I can't believe
he would do something like that.

Dad.

Tess. Lincoln.

I know you don't understand why
I had to come down here without you.

The show and this boat,

our home, our family.

As I always wanted to be together.

It wasn't just us, it was the crew
and our extended family.

How many six-year-old kids
do you know can speak Bahasa?

Linc, I know you didn't love it here.

And, Tess, you were always
so strong that,

maybe you just held your tongue.

I did something today I'm gonna
regret for the rest of my life.

I left someone behind.

This place,

it's just testing

every tether to the world
I thought I knew.

You just make decisions
that you never dreamed possible.

Maybe a better man
could have found another way.

I miss you.

(VOICE BREAKING) I love you.

I made my choice.

I don't expect you to forgive me.

I really don't.

(SOBBING)