Naomi! Naomi!
Naomi!
Naomi! Naomi!
She'll be washed up in the mud just like her sister.
Taken for her sins.
Naomi!
Nothing. We're still looking.
I'm sorry.
She will come home, Henry. I'm sure of it.
You said the same thing about Gracie.
Henry--
Any sign of her?
Jo.
What's going on?
We have to go to London.
-Why? -Dr. Garrett.
He said he'd see me without an appointment.
Appointment? For what?
I'm sick, Will.
The flu?
It's more than that.
Well, I don't--
The weather has been so…
cold and wet.
-You're bound to-- -I'm weak.
And I'm getting weaker.
I'm trying to hide it.
Stella, why?
Why? I would have--
-It's all right. -No, Stella.
I trust Dr. Garrett.
Right.
You--
You want to see Dr. Garrett?
In London?
We can take the children.
Make an adventure of it.
An adventure?
Why not?
We could see Cora.
No. I--
-I don't-- -We need somewhere to stay.
We'll stay with Charles.
We'll leave in the morning.
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SARAH PERRY
THE ESSEX SERPENT
I don't want it.
When is she gonna come out of her room?
Soon.
MRS. SEABORNE, 2 FOULIS ST. WESTMINSTER LONDON
Very soon, I hope.
How are you this morning?
Fine.
They want to meet me… See my find, the plesiosaur.
You better get up then.
But how did they--
I won't see you broken by a village consumed by superstition.
You wrote to the society in my name?
Frankie's been asking for you.
Every single mealtime.
He can come with me. We'll go on the Underground.
Was there any other post for me?
No.
Nothing from Aldwinter?
Still, no.
Look.
SKELETAL DISPLAY - BLUE WHALE BRITISH MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY
Can we go and see it?
Not today.
I've got an appointment.
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
Are there any serpents here?
Not yet. Maybe one day, if I've found the remains of one.
Professor Marchant.
Cora Seaborne.
Hello.
Please.
I wouldn't presume to categorize it myself,
but nonetheless, I do believe it could be some sort of plesiosaur.
Not one I've seen before, and I've looked through all the published material.
And you just stumbled across it?
No, I was digging on the Essex coast for some time.
I'm impressed.
Do you have more?
No, this is it at present.
That's a shame.
I can't do anything with just this piece.
You know what you're doing.
You should return and look for more.
Thank you for your time.
Go back to Essex, Mrs. Seaborne.
We want to find the serpent.
Someone's keen.
Why can't we go back to Aldwinter?
We can't, Frankie.
Shall I?
No, I can manage.
-Frankie, are you all right? -I'm freezing.
Run upstairs and get changed.
Cora, this is my friend, Sali.
Mrs. Cora Seaborne.
Hello.
Pleased to meet you.
I hope you're coming next week?
With Ambrose? To my home?
Martha tells me he listens to you.
Oh, yes.
Sorry, I'm so tired.
Feel free to borrow an umbrella.
The find is worthless.
What?
Unless I go back to find more.
You can't.
No, definitely not.
You need to forget about Essex.
You shouldn't have sent me to meet the professor.
I was trying to help.
Why?
I want you to come back.
And I'm trying.
Are you?
Lying in bed all day, refusing to eat?
Brokenhearted over a married man?
We need to get back to normal.
We need to make a proper home for Frankie.
-Do we? -Yes.
We have to open up the house,
and then we need to start thinking about his education.
-We have to try and-- -"We, we."
You speak about us like we're a couple.
-What I mean is-- -I'm merely your servant.
No. My friend.
You can't pay for friendship.
What?
-Where are you going? -Oh, I'm sorry.
Would it be all right if I take a half-day, ma'am?
What?
Martha?
-Where's Martha gone? -I don't know.
-When's she coming back? -I don't know.
-Has she gone to Essex? -No!
I'm sorry.
I tell you what, should we go and see the whale?
When?
Tomorrow.
I'll have to pretend I didn't mean it.
-Make up with her. -Why?
-I don't have a choice. -There's always a choice.
-Martha. -No.
You wouldn't understand how it feels to have no power of your own.
I think you're immensely powerful.
She's agreed to come with us. She must respect you.
But we used to spend every day together. Talking, sharing.
I thought she felt the same.
Sounds like you're in love with her.
Everyone else is.
John, we're off.
There's blood on the boats!
Who did it?
Evansford.
Why?
He thinks it'll protect us.
So we're in danger?
No.
-Is that why we're going to London? -No.
Naomi will come home.
We have to keep faith.
What are you drawing, John?
It's the whale.
You can show it to Charles when we get there.
Why can't we go straight to the museum?
Your father and I have business in town this morning.
-Can't we go and see Cora? -No.
We'll see her soon, I'm sure.
And a little deeper.
Don't look so alarmed.
I'm all right.
Would you mind coughing one more time, then spitting into this dish?
Now what?
Now I'll stain the bacillus, so I can see it under the microscope.
Can I look?
Of course.
Like grains of rice.
So blue.
So beautiful.
Unfortunately, it's tuberculosis.
-No. -I'm so sorry.
-The doctor in Aldwinter said-- -The doctor in Aldwinter is a fool.
Luke.
-We're going. Come on. -Please, wait.
There is a treatment.
A therapeutic pneumothorax.
It's radical, but if you ask me, it is her best and only hope.
What is it?
I would operate to collapse the infected lung
in order to give it the best chance of healing.
It's never been done successfully before.
Then, no. Absolutely not.
-Don't sacrifice her to your fears. -You think I'd let you chop her up
like a piece of offal in a butcher shop?
There are other options.
I would recommend injections of tuberculin--
-Very low success rate. -They have worked in Germany.
Surgery, I honestly think--
She's not one of your cadavers, Dr. Garrett.
-She's my wife. -Stop.
This is my disease.
And I don't want to be treated.
Then you must know what's ahead, Mrs. Ransome.
Some good days, but bad ones too.
Weakness.
Delirium.
Thank you.
I'd like to speak with my husband, please.
Stella.
I've made up my mind.
I don't want to spend my precious time in a hospital.
Away from…
What should I do?
Take the children on their day out.
They've been looking forward to it.
Then we'll go home.
Charles is expecting us at--
I'll go and see him now. Rest there for the day.
Dad?
Are you all right?
Yes.
Go and find your brother.
Stay here, all right?
Will.
You came to London.
The children wanted to see the whale.
Of course. Yes. Frankie's obsessed with it.
Like mother, like son.
I've been thinking about--
Cora.
Why did you leave?
Frankie got homesick. That's all.
Cora, you're acting strange.
I'm sorry.
How are you all? How's your mother?
-She's-- -Where's John?
We should--
We should go home.
Goodbye, Mrs. Seaborne.
You're shaking, Mummy.
-Cora, what's happened? -Leave me.
I'm going to see if Naomi's back.
Jo?
Let her go.
Come back, Naomi.
Come back.
Is this my judgment?
I keep thinking it must be.
For what?
We've never had any secrets from each other, have we?
Never.
There's something I haven't told you.
There's someone I--
Hush.
You're a good man, Will Ransome.
Should we just forget about our row?
I am trying.
You need to decide what you want.
Stop dwelling on what you can't have.
Cora.
Hello. Thanks for coming.
Thought you were still in Essex.
No, I left some time ago.
Why didn't you write?
Why didn't you?
I'm totally unreliable. I have an excuse.
It's good to see you.
So what happened?
They all turned against me. Decided I was the devil.
What? Even the dear reverend?
No, he--
Anyhow, I'm here to talk to you about something else.
Remember the party? The thing with Martha?
Martha?
And Sali?
Sali?
Your patient's sister.
Our visit to the slums.
Luke, it's important.
I need to support Martha. You have to come.
-Really? -Yes.
You're Nev's doctor.
If you talk to Ambrose, he'll have to listen.
Please, Luke.
Problem is, I have a prior engagement.
The annual BMA party.
Well, don't go then.
But they're giving me an award.
Luke, that's wonderful.
Admit it, you're thrilled.
I suppose I could squeeze them both in
if I had a friend in tow.
It would be an honor.
I'm not really one for jewelry.
But thank you.
Just as well. I couldn't afford it anyway.
Morning.
What's this?
The least I can do.
Thank you.
Will you come with me to collect Luke? Make sure he doesn't wiggle out of it.
I think I should have breakfast with Frankie.
Luke. Martha's here.
Luke.
Why would you be so cruel?
Martha's here.
God.
Good morning.
You look well.
Ready?
Well…
Look, I've been working all night.
I really don't feel up to it.
-Up. Up. -To be honest with you--
A strong coffee?
-What do you think? -Yes.
You haven't told him, have you? About…
'Course I haven't.
Good. Because anyone can see how keen he is on you.
By the way, I've been meaning to ask. Did I--
I mean, was I any good?
Forgotten about it already.
You women really know how to destroy a man.
I hope you're not still pining for Cora.
Luke,
don't waste your love on her.
She won't know what to do with it.
Here we are.
Right.
Let's get this over with.
As you can see, Mr. Ambrose,
this isn't a good place to recover from surgery.
Perhaps our guest would like a drink of water.
The well is not clean.
-Sulfuretted hydrogen in the water. -What was that, Luke?
Poisonous gas.
See, it's blackened the window frames.
So, where do you dispose of your pots, Sali?
The sewages outside, or further down if that one is overflowed.
Do you have vermin?
Of course they do.
Thank you.
It's been
very informative.
Don't walk away, Charles.
I said I would come, and I have.
-You have the power to help them. -And we have, Cora.
We've legislated over it again.
The Clearances Act--
You can't just tear down the slums and leave people homeless.
What would you suggest?
We need a social housing bill.
The communist emerges.
People are dying, Ambrose.
The only thing that survives here is disease.
You survived.
-For goodness' sake, Charles. -Wha--
Do you have any idea what it's like to actually die from cholera?
A pathogen is swilling in the sewers right under our feet.
So, first, you lose control of your bowels,
you vomit night and day,
your eyes sink to the back of your skull,
and your skin turns blue.
It is a frightening, lonely death.
Clean water is a basic human right.
If we're not agreed on that, then you should be on your way.
I'll talk to colleagues.
See if I can raise a bill.
Luke's downstairs.
It hardly feels right to go out.
No, don't stay in feeling guilty.
Take action.
You could join the movement.
You were brilliant, Martha.
You're wasted here.
-I do wanna do more. -You must.
I suppose you and Frankie won't need me forever, will you?
Be careful with Luke.
We're friends.
Shall we go and toast your success?
By which I mean get very, very drunk.
Whoa, whoa.
Absolutely…
Dr. Garrett.
-Oh, God. The chairman of the board. -Garrett?
We really should go get drunk in a bar somewhere.
This is your night. We're going to enjoy it.
Garrett.
Garrett, congratulations.
I do my best.
-And is this your daughter? -Mr. Garrett, behave yourself.
Impossible, sadly.
You must be Mrs. Garrett. How lovely to meet you.
The pleasure is all mine.
And now I must practice my speech on my dear wife.
Hello.
It is with the utmost respect and humility…
-Humility? Really? -…that I accept…
I needed this. Thank you.
Always available for wanton drinking.
-Christ, I am legless. -Are you?
And it's all your fault, Mrs. Garrett.
What is this, Cora? What are we doing?
Being quite badly behaved at your party.
I'm tired of being so coy and so polite.
What are you talking about?
Let's get married.
I'm serious. Marry me. Be my wife.
Luke. Wha…
-I can't. I mean, you know I can't. -Why not?
Well, my husband's only been dead a matter of months.
-It's like-- -Bugger your husband. You didn't love him.
Wh-- And you--
I love you.
I've loved you from the moment I saw you.
Before you knew me?
I liked what I saw.
And you wanted to put your mark on it?
-What happened to carefree Cora? -Sorry. I--
Just think about it.
We laugh.
We argue. We're like a married couple already.
Can't friendship be enough?
Crumbs, you mean.
I'm sorry. I'm--
-Once, I might've had more, but-- -Once?
When you invited me to Essex,
-made me the man of your house? -What?
Why do you think I threw you that bloody party?
There was I thinking you wanted to do something for a friend.
What about him? Is he your friend too?
Who?
You do realize he's married?
Although, perhaps not for much longer given the state of his wife's lungs.
Is that what you're holding out for?
I didn't think even you were that cold, Cora.
What are you talking about?
TB. I diagnosed her last week.
You're lying.
Ask Spencer if you don't believe me.
Don't worry. She'll be dead in a few months,
and you can have him all to yourself.
Get away from me.
Cora, wait. I'm sorry.
Get away from me.
-Cora, come back. -Leave me alone.
-You're drunk. -You're drunker.
BMA
Run away then, coward.
You're the coward.
If you could kindly make your way to the stage, sir.
Sod that.
You idiot. You bloody idiot. Idiot!
-What's happened? -Luke proposed.
-What? -I know.
You idiot.
-He's the idiot. -No, Cora. Come on.
No, you weren't there.
One minute we were joking around and the next, he proposed.
He's in love with you.
Do you have any idea how painful it is to love you?
I didn't realize.
-No, you never do. -Martha, wha--
-What do you want, Cora? -Want?
Yes. Because the longer you just blunder about not knowing,
-the more people are gonna get hurt. -It's just--
-I've been trapped for so long-- -Oh, yes.
Go on, blame Michael again.
You're right. I am wasted here.
LONDON & METROPOLITAN RAILWAYS
Money.
Wallet!
No.
Come on.
Give it.
Not my hand. Please.
Father.
Hear my prayer.
I renounce my sins.
I renounce evil.
Bring her back to me.
[TRANSLATOR CREDIT]