The Wild Wild West (1965–1969): Season 2, Episode 25 - The Night of the Deadly Blossom - full transcript

It's an odd place
for a man in charge

of naval intelligence's
Pacific fleet, wouldn't you say?

Oh, not really, Artie.

There are some
admirals that, underneath,

are greater
landlubbers at heart.

Uh, excuse us, admiral.

We knocked, but there was...

Sir?

Admiral, are you...?

Prussic acid.

Ruined a very fine old Tokay,



about a '58 or a '59, I'd say.

Any last minute notes

on why we were sent
for in such a hurry,

or what happened?

Nah. Just doodling.

Apparently, they
didn't have the time.

"Myron Kendrick."

Interesting.

The letter Y keeps recurring
in these over and over again.

Mean anything to you?

No.

Uh...

This doodling...
Lightning bolts.

That's about all I
can make out of it.



It doesn't make much...

Any last words?

What's he saying?

I don't know.

It's Polynesian. I
know that much.

Run through that one more time.

Jim, hard to starboard!

He was outta range.

Niihau, Kauai, Oahu,

Molokai, Maui, Lanai,

Kaho'olawe, Hawaii.

Separately, the bits and pieces

that may well turn into the most
important parcel of real estate

of the coming century:

The Sandwich Islands,

more commonly
known as the Hawaiian.

Do you gentlemen have any
idea why that should be so?

Quote: "With Oahu's
impregnable Pearl Harbor

and its strategic position
straddling the ocean lanes..."

"The flag that flies over
these sun-drenched islands

will be master of the Pacific."

I had no idea you gentlemen

went in for reading State
Department white papers.

Well, we do, sir, when
they're authored by

assistant secretary of
state Levering Davis.

Thank you.

Ruling monarch of these
islands is Mau Ke Kalakua,

a very wise man, gentlemen.

Wise enough to
realize, for instance,

that his island security
calls for a strong alliance

with a world power.

As you know, he will be arriving
in the United States shortly

for high-level discussions.

Yes, sir. We've been assigned
to his personal security.

The only thing we don't know

is exactly when and
where he'll be arriving.

The royal party will
arrive in San Francisco

on the Hawaiian
Queen on the 18th.

That's a day and
a half from now.

It's not much in the
way of notice, is it, sir?

All part of overall
security, Gordon.

Until our state
department and the king

have concluded their agreement,

the royal visit is to
remain top-secret.

As the president
must have told you,

it's important that
the king's visit here

be a very pleasant one.

Good day. Good day, sir.

Hello, Anabella.

I've been waiting
for you, little girl.

There we are.

Got the whole message.

There's a good girl.

Yes.

Let's check on the
dock with a Hawaiian c...

Artie, you with me?

Jim...

the Admiral Agnow case.

Suddenly an awful
lot of loose pieces

are beginning
to fall into place.

I'm listening.

Here, let's take
another look at these.

Until five minutes ago,

just a bunch of scraps of paper

covered with meaningless
scribbles and letters, right?

One name scrawled
on it several times:

Myron Kendrick.

Now on a hunch, I got in
touch with the local office

of naval personnel and
asked them to check into it.

Dear old Anabella just
came in with this answer.

"Myron Kendrick, able seaman.

Sole survivor of
frigate Youngstown."

That's the Youngstown that
went down three weeks ago.

Right.

Why the constant
reference to the letter Y?

The Youngstown.

Exactly, and all
of these scribbles

that look like bolts
of lightning here.

Look at that.

Look at that. Look at it here.

Remember the official finding?

It said that the frigate's
magazine blew up

because it was struck by
lightning during a thunderstorm.

Artie...

I've got an idea buzzing
around in my head.

Yeah, so do I. Tell me yours.

Item:

Suppose that the
admiral sent for us

after he had uncovered facts

that the Youngstown
wasn't destroyed by lightning,

but that it was sabotaged.

That has to be it.

Now the only question
is what form did it take?

I don't know, but we've got
a day before the king arrives.

Why don't you go
see Myron Kendrick

and ask him about
his former ship?

I'd be glad to. What about you?

I'm going to go see
that Hawaiian expert.

What was his name? Uh, Barclay.

Yeah. Adam Barclay.

I'm gonna ask him about this

and those Hawaiian phrases
we heard in the garden.

How do you do, Mr. West?

I'm Adam Barclay.

I've heard about you.
Read about your exploits.

Well, sir,

now that you've
overcome your surprise

to find that I'm Chinese,
do join me for a drink.

Thank you. It's, um...

It's not important,

but the name Adam Barclay...?

Hardly prepares one
for the sight of its owner.

I know, I know.

"Adam Barclay" is a legacy
from my English father.

However, with all
due respect to you, sir,

I prefer to describe
myself as a Chinese

who happened to have
had an English father.

I've heard that Orientals
living in a Caucasian world

occasionally find their
nerve ends lacerated.

Well, sir, it's not an...

Thank you.

Do forgive me if
I sounded crisp.

It seems to happen
when I've been away

from my beloved
islands too long.

You live in Hawaii?

In a very real sense,
I have never left.

Hawaii is my home.

Bone of my bones.
Flesh of my flesh.

Only pressing business
keeps me away.

Your note, sir.

You mentioned something

about a Polynesian
artifact, I believe.

Do you mind telling
me where you got this?

Happy to. Someone
tried to kill me with it.

Some time between now
and 8:00 last night, correct?

Do you mind telling
me how you knew that?

Be happy to.

It's a Hawaiian nuau.

The traditional war mace dating
to King Kamehameha's reign.

It was stolen from my
collection last night.

Oh, leave it there.

It looks better there

than it would have
buried in my skull.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you very much, indeed.

You know, I'm having a few
friends to a Hawaiian dinner.

Poi, roast pig and all the
other island delicacies.

Do join us, won't you?

Uh, I'd like to,
but I'm sorry. I...

It's my way of honoring
his majesty Mau Ke Kalakua.

He will be arriving here
for a visit quite soon.

Suddenly that seems
like a very attractive idea.

Thank you.

Has he been in this state

ever since they fished
him out of the water?

Yes, sir. Shock,
the doctors say.

And now, sir, I think you...

Could I just have a
minute or two, please?

It's most important. Please.

All right. Thank you.

Mr. Kendrick...

can you hear me?

Try to tell me what happened.

You must remember something.

Seeing something,
hearing something, anything.

Try, won't you?

It's important.

It's a matter of
national security.

Look, your ship is
just off the Farallons,

steaming toward the Golden
Gate, not 30 miles up ahead.

You're in a
thunderstorm, remember?

And the vessel
is pitching badly.

Now... where are you?

Are you standing watch?

Something happened,
Mr. Kendrick. What was it?

All right, sailor,
turn to and report!

Sir!

It was...

It was...

I sighted it...

off the port bow.

What?

It was...

like a fireball...

with a tail.

With a... With a long tail...

Like a... A comet.

What's going on here?

Do you realize this
man is in deep shock?

I'm terribly sorry, doctor,

but in view of the
circumstances...

Get outta here!

Thank you.

Oh. Ah.

This is a particularly
favorite time of mine.

The last dull
guest has departed.

One special guest
remains. Now we can talk.

Thank you.

Mr. Barclay, would you
translate this for me?

Oh, yes. It's a very
well-known phrase.

It translates roughly to, uh,

"Where the mountain
meets the sea,

the deadly blossom grows."

Then in Western terms,

pleasant and alluring
though the prospect may be,

danger lurks ahead.

Exactly.

Oh, please, please.
Don't stand on ceremony.

This is my secretary
Miss Ishuda.

Yes?

I've seen your guests
to their carriages,

secured the premises

and there's a
gentleman to see...

I have the perfect
secretary, Mr. West.

Congratulations.

Efficient as a stiletto,
silent as the grave

and discreet as
a hangman's wife.

But cold and
unresponsive as a glacier.

Aren't you, Haruko?

Or is it just that I repel you?

There's a gentleman
to see you in your study.

Something about
a special shipment.

I mustn't keep the
gentleman waiting, must I?

Excuse me. Of course.

You're, uh... You're
Japanese, aren't you?

This leads to the side exit.

Nobody will see you leaving.

Well, why do I wanna leave?

Because if you don't,

Mr. Gordon will
find it necessary

to carry out your joint
assignment alone.

Assignment?

The protection of a
certain royal personage.

Now please leave.

I wanna hear more.

I'll meet you at
the end of this lane

and explain in greater detail.

My apologies to the host.

Thank you.

Don't mention it.

It's amazing how many people

seem to develop an
instant dislike for you.

Thanks to your excellent aim,
we'll never know why, will we?

May I suggest that
we do not tarry?

Your friends may return
with reinforcements.

Sit here, please, Mr. West.

Let me look at your arm.

I've ordered that my
staff guard the body

until the police
can be sent for.

Thank you.

Let me, Mr. Barclay.

Women are supposed
to do well at this.

Oh, good. I'll fix us a drink,

which is something
I do very well.

Someone tried to kill Mr. West.

Fortunately, it's
only a scratch.

Whoever arranged that
little garden reception

will be disappointed
to hear that.

Others will be delighted.

Well, as host, I feel personally
responsible for what happened

since it occurred
on my proper...

Interesting development.

It seems that the body
has somehow disappeared.

Thank you.

There are a lot of
interesting developments

around here, Mr. Barclay.

For instance, how do you
know that the Hawaiian king

will be arriving
in this country?

Secret Service agents
are usually quite disturbed

to find that others know what
they thought only they know,

isn't that so?

You haven't
answered my question.

Oh, yes.

How do I know that the
king is on his way here?

Because his majesty
himself wrote me about it.

You and the king are friends?

Very close, indeed.

How else would I know

that the royal party will arrive

in San Francisco tomorrow
aboard the Hawaiian Queen?

My information
is right, isn't it?

Yes, officially.

Oh, I see.

Officially, one set of facts,

but actually something
quite different, huh?

You said that,
Mr. Barclay. I didn't.

So I did. So I did.

Oh, it's unashamedly
sentimental of me, I suppose,

but it would be a
great satisfaction

to be able to greet his
majesty as he steps ashore.

I don't suppose,
quite confidentially,

you could advise me
as to when he will arrive

and the name of the ship?

A little while ago
you saved my life,

and I'm very grateful, but...

But you can't divulge a thing.

Unh-unh.

Well...

Well, uh...

Well, uh...

Oh, Mr. West, you've
forgotten your drink.

Oh!

That's quite all
right. No problem.

I'll fix another.

That's all right, I'll have
to be leaving anyway.

No. Not before you have
a last loving cup drink.

An old Hawaiian custom.

First the host.

And the lovely
lady in our midst.

And lastly, the guest of honor.

To Hawaii.

Hear, hear.

Goodbye.

To Hawaii...

may it always be free!

How do you feel?

Like I've been
dropped on my head

from a great height, thank you.

Kendrick. Where is he?

He's dead.

Oh, no.

You were clutching that in
your hand when we found you.

Sprawled on the floor
alone, except for the patient.

The police have been sent for.

Tell them the
patient was murdered

with an injection of
poison from a hypodermic.

Tell them I'll get in
touch with them later,

and fill them in
on all the details.

There they are now.
Sorry I can't wait.

I've got this batch of
cookies in the oven.

Ah, you're a sound
sleeper, Mr. West.

I must have been more
tired than I realized.

The important thing is
that you're awake now.

Ah, yes.

A most versatile device,

suggested by your
delightful Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.

You've read his story The Pit
and the Pendulum, haven't you?

As I recall, the
pendulum is actually

a heavy finely-honed blade.

Exactly. Oh, you're a very
literate person, Mr. West.

Yes, a blade so arranged
that it drops lower and lower

with each successive swing.

Dear Haruko, I'm
sparing your life

long enough for you to see
and hear our friend's reaction

when the blade
swings low enough.

Do you remember asking
me if I was repelled by you?

Yes, but you never
answered my question.

I will now.

Extremely so.

Very ingenious. How
does this story end?

Suppose you settle down
and find out for yourself...

unless you are prepared
to confide in me now.

Confide what?

The exact time and place
of the arrival of his majesty,

and the name of the ship.

But you already know that.

I have neither the
time nor inclination

to indulge you, Mr. West.

You're very sure
of yourself now,

but when the blade will
start caressing your ribs,

you will be much
more ready to talk.

When that happens,
move your head backwards.

This is my good
right arm, Palea.

I met your good right arm
in the admiral's garden.

Yes, so he told me.

Pressing business calls me away,

but you may summon Palea if
you should have a change of heart

about the information I want.

Let's see your tags, men.

Put your arm up.

"Art objects," huh?

Consigned to Adam Barclay.

Well, Mr. Barclay,

I happen to be an old art
lover myself, from a way back.

That, Artemus, my boy,
has to be the granddaddy

of all rockets.

There's an extra
stevedore floating around

who shouldn't be here.

Look around.

You two.

Go out and see if you
can get him outside.

Find him and get him.

You four, let's take
these crates out right now.

Don't cry. Everything
will turn out fine.

I wish...

It's bad luck to leave
a wish dangling.

I wish I could help you.

You can and you will.

Who are you when
you're not playing

Adam Barclay's secretary?

One of the faceless
anonymous ones...

like you.

I thought we were
in the same business.

Different firm, I suppose.

Different firm.

Quote:

"In the next century,

"two nations must
extend their orbit

"to cover the Hawaiian islands:

the United States and Japan."

End quote.

It's sad to think that the real
winner may be Adam Barclay.

Who is Adam Barclay

when he's not being a
charming disarming host?

An octopus consumed
with hate and ambition.

Hate for the Caucasian
world. I learned that much.

And ambition to control
an island kingdom.

Barclay owns vast
holdings on the islands,

controls vastly more,

and won't be satisfied until
he controls all of Hawaii.

Through his network of
spies, he knows many things.

What, for instance?

The business you
and I are in, for one.

More importantly,

he has found out that the
Hawaiian king is prepared

to accept United States
control for the islands' survival.

To prevent that,
Barclay has decided...

The king must die.

What does your, uh,
firm think about that?

It would result in
senseless chaos.

To prevent that, our
principal would have been

prepared to work
with your principal.

Would have...

but now...

What are you doing?

There's no point in having
a sharp pendulum overhead

unless you're gonna use it.

But you can't see.
You'll cut your hands.

You'll be my eyes.

Can you move your
hands farther up?

Even farther.

Good.

Now move your
hands to the right.

Too much.

Back to the left a little.

A little more.

Yes. That's just right.

Now.

It's time to go.

How would your side feel
about working with my side?

Try me.

For starters, where's Barclay?

This is just a guess, but
Barclay has been leaving

regularly for the
past few weeks.

I tried to follow him,
but he's too elusive.

So you don't know
where he's been going?

No, but each time
he's come back,

his boots have been
smeared with red clay.

Go on.

I've studied the
regional soil charts.

There are only three sites
where red clay may be found:

Costa Brava, 18 miles from here,

Berbick, 22 miles from here,

and Land's End,
six miles from here

and overlooking the Golden Gate.

Where are you going?

Well, I've always wanted
to visit Land's End.

We work for different firms,
but we are in the same business.

I'm going with you.

If we're going, let's go.

We'll have to go by foot.

Oh!

Barclay touch, all right.

We must be on the right track.

I think we can get around this.

Watch out for tripwires, huh?

What was that Polynesian phrase

you asked Barclay to translate?

"When the mountain
meets the sea,

a deadly blossom grows."

We're on top of the mountain.

And I see the sea.

Now, where's the deadly blossom?

Well, if isn't the
lovely lady in our midst

and the honored guest.

What business would
you say Mr. Barclay's in?

It's obvious.

He's in the business
of killing kings.

I like this better:

"Mr. Adam Barclay,
savior of Hawaii."

Yes, Mr. West.

I'm saving those blessed islands

from the withering domination
of great countries like yours

and your bustling, rapacious
little empire, dear Haruko.

I want to save her
from all the corruption,

dreariness and blighting
that you call progress.

All of which might threaten
the monopolistic control

you already have over
those "blessed" islands.

All right.

But when I am king,

Hawaii will remain as she is:

A jeweled island
set in a crystal sea,

a very special place

where people can live out
their lives in peace and beauty.

Oh, but I'm forgetting
to thank you both.

For anything in particular?

For giving me
all the information

that I need about
the time of arrival

and the ship of his
majesty Mau Ke Kalakua.

I-I wasn't aware that,
uh... That we had.

But of course you did.

How did you find your
way here, may I ask?

Oh, that was easy.

By following the man-traps.

Ah, but why?

Why go to all the trouble
of visiting here today

if it isn't because the
one ship that arrives today

from Hawaii will include on
its passenger list the king?

For that assurance,
thank you, good people.

You are aware, of
course, that the Chinese

have tinkered with rockets
for hundreds of years.

But these are
particularly impressive.

Yes, they are.

They were designed
to my specifications

by a Chinese scientist who is
many decades ahead of his time.

All this to kill a king?

Why not?

The king is well guarded,

so the king will die when
the ship that carries him dies.

Does that suggest
anything to you, West?

The sudden death
of the Youngstown.

Of course.

I couldn't really be sure
that the range and accuracy

of my rockets were adequate.

So you waited for a thunderstorm

to test the device.

Right again.

The thunderclaps
covered the explosion,

and those who saw the flashes
thought they were lightning.

There was the small matter

of the 84 lives that
were snuffed out.

Can your super-civilized
country claim such a weapon?

From a range of 40 miles,
with pinpoint accuracy,

I can blast any vessel
to kingdom come.

Fantastic, isn't it?

Hawaiian Queen coming into view.

The beginning of
the end for the king.

Hey.

A sophisticated version
of the camera obscura.

Having a knowledge
of logarithmic systems

and understanding
the relationship

between angle of trajectory
and, believe it or not,

angle of solar ray,

and with a combination
of lenses and mirrors,

I can visually
focus on my target.

See? When the Hawaiian
Queen is on the crosshairs,

I have only to say the word,

and first one, and
then the other rocket,

will blast off on its
glorious mission.

Prepare to fire on my command.

Raise elevation to 20 degrees.

Deflection, 085.

Prepare to fire rocket one.

Nine... eight...

seven... six... five...

Hyah!

Let's go. We really
should be there

when the king comes ashore.

Right.

That must be the king now.

You sure you won't
change your mind?

Oh, James, my boy,
I'd love to stick around,

but I ask you, would
it be fair to Yvette?

All right. Well, I'll make
your apologies to his majesty.

I don't know what I'll say,
but I'll think of something.

Tell him I've got
illness in the family

because if I missed
this date, I'd be sick.

Au revoir. I'm off!

Oh, welcome, your
majesty. Welcome.

Please accept
this inadequate car

as your home until
we reach Washington.

Oh, you are most kind,
Mr. West. Mr. Gordon?

Oh, unfortunately Mr. Gordon
had an unexpected illness

in the family.

Ah, that's a pity.

May I present my family,
who will travel with me?

It would be my pleasure, sir.

Leilana, my daughter.

Nanette, my niece.

Luala, another niece.

Oh, another niece?

How do you do?

Luana, a cousin.

And Bohea, a
friend of my family.

Welcome, ladies.

Oh, your majesty.

I'm so glad I managed
to get back in time.

Good evening.

Oh, Mr. Gordon.

I heard about the
illness in your family.

Oh, yes. My great-aunt Maude.

When I got there,
I found she'd made

an absolutely
fantastic recovery.

Almost a miracle, you might say.

Oh, may I present
my daughter Leilana.

Nanette, my niece.

How do you do?

Luala, another niece.

Charmed.