Serangoon Road (2013) s01e05 Episode Script
Heatwave
1 Stay off the streets, Mr Callaghan.
Why's that? It's not just the politics out there.
Bomb! Kalimantan Whoa! Agh! Which eye? This is what you get for selling Kay Song out to the cops.
That's why I don't get involved.
Not anymore.
Hey, Malaya was a long time ago, OK? Now I've got my work cut out for me.
I've got two hands, a boat, one lousy partner.
Mr Callaghan.
Just the man I'm looking for.
Maxwell Black.
Where have you been all my life? I wasn't born for the most of it.
I'm sorry, Mr Black May I cut in? No, you may not.
The lady's with me.
I don't think so, Mr Black.
West Pacific has many close friends in Washington.
I could get you shipped to Sierra Leone tomorrow.
You have no idea whom you're talking to.
I couldn't stand being away from you for another minute.
I know it must be hard for you, being left alone for days.
Are we risking too much? I mean, do you want to stop? No.
Whatever it is, we're in it together.
Easy money.
A few more jobs like this, I'll be able to afford a new boat.
Well, West Pacific aren't just paying for a boat ride.
They're paying for the security.
Well, you want me to dodge the boat around a little bit? Make it look like there are poison arrows coming out of the jungle? I want you to take it seriously.
Don't worry, I take money very seriously.
Hey, you didn't tell me your girlfriend was coming.
No, I didn't know.
Maybe she's just seeing them off.
Sam.
Maxwell.
Good to see you again.
Yeah.
We've persuaded Mr Macdonald to write a feature piece for us.
Macca.
Shoot me now.
Sam.
Frank.
We've got one extra.
I hope that's OK.
Of course.
Mrs Simpson.
Mr Callaghan.
Callaghan, let's get this show on the road, shall we? We'll need to put in a bigger wharf if we're to take out sizeable quantities of rubber.
Head Office will approve as many wharves as you want.
Right.
- How does she keep so cool? Jesus, Macca, it's a real mistake for you to move more than ten feet away from a bottle of Scotland's finest.
I'm not that stupid.
My mistake was leaving the Duke Hotel in the first place.
Well, you can't write about Singapore from the bar of the Duke.
Watch me.
It's hardly Saigon, is it? No, a fluffy field-written piece.
The only way this story catches fire is if their hospital does.
Yeah, well, it's our first security job, so if the hospital goes up in flames, it'll be our last.
This village had nothing before we arrived.
Fixing up the accommodation, put in a jetty.
You OK? Yeah, of course.
If I knew you loved the jungle so much, I'd take you on every trip.
Yes, please.
This is the hospital.
I'll keep a look out for those poison arrows.
This is the children's ward.
The village had a 10% child mortality rate when we arrived.
Malaria, dengue fever.
But with the medicines we're providing, we're hoping to reduce that to zero by the end of '65.
Malaria's rife in the area, but we are treating all of the children.
Sweetheart.
It's OK.
Hello.
Let me show you this.
What's your name? Claire.
Amir.
Amir.
Hello, Amir.
He still has a fever.
Ma'am, please.
Is something wrong? He is being treated? If something's wrong, you can tell me.
You won't get in trouble.
Well, it's important.
They've got to see us doing the right thing around here, you know.
The medicine's not working.
Those kids have been taking this drug for a week now.
They should be getting better.
They're getting worse.
No, the medicine's fine.
It's the jungle.
It's not like it is back home.
Look, it's good of you to care, but that boy'll be up and running around before we've even docked in Singapore.
Of course.
It's just, uh, that journalist who took a photo of him.
It might not look so good for the company if he dies.
Frank, can you take care of this? Just leave it.
Sam, can you take this back, please? Your girlfriend's a nutjob.
Miss Chen.
You ang mohs terrible manners.
What is it? Ang mohs.
Westerners.
Well, I'd be honoured if you'd instruct me appropriately.
In fact, I believe that you consented to a dinner date.
I did.
Well, would tomorrow night be appropriate? I don't see why not.
And may I collect you, from your parents' residence? No, you may not.
Please collect me here, when I finish work.
I'd be delighted.
Mr Harrison.
Mrs Cheng.
It's only a date, Aunty.
And before you start, he has no hope in the world of progressing to the second one, so I don't need to hear the speech about my parents.
He rescued me from a drunken dance with that horrible Maxwell Black.
The least I can do is let him buy me dinner.
At least, lah.
At least.
You should have seen her, trudging through the jungle as if she was born there.
Darling, it sounds too hideous for words.
Next thing, she'll be running that hospital herself.
Surely not.
Now if Sir Phillip were here, he'd warn you about getting between your wife and a good cause.
See, he made that mistake with me.
But he only did it once.
I'm not sure my boss would be so keen on Claire rescuing the natives.
Ah.
Excuse me.
Sam.
Frank.
Thanks for today.
Overall I think it went pretty well.
Yeah.
What's this? The bottle of medicine your wife got from the nurse.
She was right.
There's something wrong with it.
I don't understand.
It's the right stuff.
It's not out of date.
Page two.
It's only 10% the strength it should be? What's going on? Sam here had that bottle of malaria medicine tested.
You said those kids have been taking the medicine for over a week, yeah? Mm-hm.
Even with poor nutrition, they should have shown some improvement.
So what's wrong with it? It's the wrong medicine? It's old Looks like it's diluted.
How do I explain that you had it tested? Tell him you wanted to make sure the medicine was OK, to cover the company.
Aren't we forgetting the most important thing? Who would do such a thing, and why? That's what they want us to find out.
And we're being hired by the company? Maxwell Black signed off on it? I don't think he's thrilled, but he's not thrilled about the idea of word getting out, either.
The company provided the hospital in drugs.
If anything goes wrong, their name is tarnished.
OK.
I'll start with the company supplying the stuff.
Not quite.
Another job first.
Apparently, Mrs Simpson has insisted on good drugs being taken to the village immediately.
A different brand.
Guaranteed, tested.
Sure, I can do that.
No, she is doing it.
You're being hired to go with her.
Oh.
Problem? No.
She doesn't need to come along, though.
Oh, you know, patronising ang moh woman.
Only she can save the jungle children.
Mm-hm.
Well, I'd be quicker on my own.
You would.
But you're going with her.
Alright.
So it's an agency job now? Fifty-fifty split.
Why is she even here? Oi.
Oi! Kang and I could have taken them.
Maxwell thinks if I get a few mosquito bites, then I'll stop causing trouble.
Doesn't know you very well.
Besides, the company has some big new deal on the line in the Philippines.
Maxwell wants Frank there to deal with the big investors when they fly in, so I'm the only one available.
You're the only one that cares.
Frank cares.
He's just busy.
You know, whenever I think about being a mother .
.
I never think about having a baby - I always think about a little boy, kind of Amir's age.
Playing with him, reading with him.
Think you and Frank will ever have kids? Yeah, we will.
Sorry, it's none of my business.
It's OK.
There's nothing wrong.
It It's just 'cause my Dad wasn't around when I was growing up, and because Frank's away so much - I don't want that for my own kid.
Let's just leave these drugs and get out of here.
If your girlfriend wants to save sick kids, I can show her the rest of South-East Asia.
At least she's doing something.
Yeah, she's paying.
How long? 20 minutes ago.
She said the other children are getting better.
Their families bought this medicine on the black market.
But it's quinine, right? Yeah, but it's a different brand of pharma.
Only the stuff from West Pacific's watered down.
Doesn't make sense.
Maxwell wanted a good news story.
This ain't it.
Well, it's not the first time your kind tried to get away with the cheapest option.
So what do you wanna do now? Take this whole mess back to Maxwell Black.
They're from another village.
Their medicine's not working either.
Why have they come here? They heard this village has good drugs.
Black-market drugs, so they've come to buy them.
But if there are good drugs here, that boy, he should His parents couldn't afford the black-market prices.
So he's using the free drugs from your husband's company.
So it's not just one bad batch? The whole place is riddled with drugs that don't work.
Give the lady a prize.
Kang.
We have to do something.
Yeah, show us the money, we'll do anything you want.
Do you not care at all? I don't pretend to care.
There is a difference.
You think I'm faking this? I think your whole project is a fake.
You, your husband, his boss.
Short-term do-gooders.
Stick a bandaid on, make a few children better.
Everybody looks good.
Now it's all blown up in your face, isn't it? Maybe you're right.
Sorry, I'm really not sure of the problem exactly.
You wanted us to make sure the hospital got good drugs, which we've done.
Kids are still getting sick.
Someone is supplying diluted medicine.
Not by us.
Not anymore.
Well, we need to find out who.
Well, that's a big investigation.
To be honest, it's really not our business.
Now if you really want to follow it up, take it to the police.
Uh if you'll excuse me.
Sam thinks the police won't have the time or the resources to help.
Then it's time to leave it.
You've done all you can.
What if I pay for the investigation, and Sam can track down who Absolutely not.
You'd have to throw an awful lot of mud to see where some of it sticks.
Let's do it.
You've already pissed off Maxwell.
You don't want to upset anyone else.
Like who? The Australian High Commission for one, because the drugs are distributed by an Australian company.
The Americans, because it's a US parent company.
The shipping companies, because they're transporting the drugs and that means old Peranakan families and half of our friends at the club.
Am I wrong? All of the people West Pacific need to stay friends with.
That boy died.
Are you saying that we shouldn't do anything? I'm saying we can't.
Well, it seems we won't be requiring your services after all, Mr Callaghan.
I'm sorry, Sam.
Yeah, me too.
It looks like Mrs Simpson has found a purpose in life.
Callaghan.
You know better than to write a story like that.
Why'd you have to make it so obvious Claire Simpson was your source?! Claire? I never even mentioned her.
You didn't have to.
It's only a matter of time before people work it out.
You could have written that story a million different ways but you're too bloody lazy to get off your arse and find your own sources.
You wrote it exactly the way she would have told you.
I'm not confirming anything.
Jesus.
Look.
And if it was her, she's over 18.
Why are you such a piece of shit, Macca? And you're bloody Prince Charming yourself, aren't you? Thank you, Lanfen.
So we're back on the case.
What, you found the source of the bad drugs? We're going to try.
Thank you! Thank you.
I don't know about this, Claire.
Maxwell's only doing it to take the heat off the company.
He's so pissed off you went to the press.
What can he do? But Macca thinks it could be the drug company itself, dumping inferior drugs in the Third World.
It's not possible, is it? Yeah, it's happened before.
What sort of a person working in a pharmaceutical company in Minnesota says, 'I know how we'll get rid of this bad medicine.
We'll just dump it in Asia'? You're familiar with the general premise of capitalism.
I understand profit.
I just don't understand profiting from death.
It's happening over the other side of the world.
They can't see it so they don't care.
Is it really the world we're living in? Sometimes you're so What? Naive? If you want me to do this, I'll do it.
But once we start, I don't know where it'll take us.
I don't want to stop.
OK.
Very atmospheric, I'll give you that.
Who's your source? Oh, really? That blunt? No footsying around? MI6 don't footsy.
You're blundering into territory you have absolutely no idea about, and it's likely to get you killed.
Is that a threat? Don't be silly.
We're the British.
We don't kill anyone.
Not personally, anyway.
Then, uh what's the interest? Did Claire Simpson give you that story about the sick kids? Eh, you know better than that.
Journalists can't reveal their sources.
If we did, who'd ever tell us anything? Exactly.
Thank you, Mr Macdonald.
Have a good night.
Frank, my star employee.
Claire.
Maxwell.
Thank you so much.
Not at all.
It's important to get to the bottom of this for the sake of the company.
Are you staying for dinner? No, no.
We won't be here long.
Big day tomorrow.
How's that? The delegation flying in from the Philippines.
I'll be at the airport to meet them.
Oh, there's no need.
Roberts is picking them up.
So we're all meeting at company headquarters? Well, he's handling that, as well.
I've put Roberts in charge.
Gives you a chance to concentrate on cleaning up that mess in Malaysia.
Excuse me.
He's punishing you.
For what I did.
Don't worry.
It'll blow over.
Let's go.
Let's just hope Sam can find out what's going on.
Oh, this is a bad idea.
Oh, sorry, this is another bad idea.
Don't you have any good ideas? How about you keep your voice down? That'd be a good idea.
Look for medicine.
The brand is Logos.
Here.
Let's test this one.
So we're stealing now? Unionists.
Deported last year.
What, being smuggled back in? What have deported unionists got to do with tampered drugs? As far as I know, nothing.
So it's a coincidence.
You always say there's no such thing.
Well, there isn't.
I believe you're planning to go to university in the States.
I can't show you anything about Singapore you don't already know, but what I can show you is America, starting with wine.
Fume blanc.
Fume blanc? Fume blanc.
It's from the Napa Valley on the west coast.
My uncle's vineyard.
How did you get that into the country? Food.
Hot dogs.
Hot dogs? Now these are the genuine New York hot dogs complete with onions and mustard.
And music.
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy A Yankee Doodle, do or die A real live nephew from my Uncle Sam Born on the Fourth of July I've got a Singapore sweetheart She's my Singapore joy Yankee Doodle went to Singapore just to find a sweetheart I am that Yankee Doodle boy I am that Yankee Doodle boy! Cheers.
Cheers.
Fume blanc.
Fume blanc.
So we had it tested and that's the real stuff.
Full-strength malaria medicine.
So it's not the drug company.
Then who? The guy who transports it from the warehouse to the village.
Boat captain? It's gotta be, right? He was there.
He would have taken all the drugs, if it hadn't been for the patrol swinging past.
There's a medical conference in town.
Our nurse could be there.
That's worth a shot.
Let's go.
Huh? Yeah, I've got something else to settle first.
So when you received the drugs from the company, the drugs with this label on them, is it the same boat, the same captain, every time? All different.
Sometimes one captain, sometimes another.
What about the person delivering the black-market drugs? Is that the same person every time? Yes.
But how do you know that? So the profit's not in selling the bad drugs, it's in selling the good stuff at an inflated price.
How does that work? Well, someone steals the drugs, dilutes them and puts them back.
And when the kids taking them don't get better, they sweep in with the good stuff and sell it at a marked-up price.
Now what I don't get is how Logos don't know that their drugs are being tampered with.
If it was me, I would dilute ten boxes out of every hundred.
Why, when you can do 20 or 30? Well, 10% is an acceptable commercial write-off.
Logos can explain that it's a bad batch.
Compensate where necessary and claim back the insurance.
Right, so there's got to be a warehouse or a lab somewhere, where stolen drugs are diluted and repackaged.
So how does a boat captain manage that kind of operation? He doesn't.
He's paid to.
One of the secret societies.
So how did you find the place? I went from village to village, talked to a few fishermen, tracked where the bumboat captain had been.
I knew the operation had to be close to water, central to the villages, not too far from town.
I thought you didn't care.
I said I didn't pretend to care.
So now what? Now we've got enough to get the police involved.
Police! Anybody there? Nobody here, sir.
OK, but you arrest the boat captain and the warehouse guys, they'll roll over on the gang.
I've already wasted a day on this.
Oh, come on.
This is your chance to do something.
You could really make your mark here.
You stop the thieves, you stop the kids from dying.
You send a real message to the secret societies.
I don't have the resources to surveil the waterfront for however many nights it takes them to steal the next batch.
You don't have to.
They were interrupted last night.
I guarantee they'll be back again tonight.
I've got a story for you.
Are you kidding me? 'Sorry I was such a prick, Macca.
I didn't mean to go all ape on you yesterday.
Let me buy you a drink to make up for the one you spilt all over me.
' Do you want to hear what it is or not? Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell's going on? He's getting away! Amran and his mates, they made a big arrest early this morning.
Four deported unionists smuggled back to Singapore.
That was last night.
But how did Amran find them so fast? My guess, MI6.
MI6 is protecting the captain? In return for what? Information about illegal immigrants? It's called Operation Deep Freeze.
In '62, they rounded up a bunch of troublemakers and shipped them out of Singapore.
What kind of troublemakers? Those who don't agree with the British point of view.
So the bumboat captain is working for MI6.
Yeah.
Would MI6 know that the captain is also working for the secret society? Probably.
They know that the gang is diluting medicine and they just turn a blind eye? Well, the intel they were getting was worth more than a couple of kids.
So what do we do now? We can't just let it go on I'm sorry, Mrs Simpson, but our job here is done.
Arrests have been made.
Mr Black's company has announced a new scheme is in place.
He's terminated our contract.
But the captain is still out there.
So is the gang.
Nothing has changed.
No-one gets punished.
Welcome to Asia.
Thank you, Mrs Cheng.
I appreciate your help with this matter.
Mrs Simpson.
Claire.
Sometimes you've just got to walk away.
I'm not going to walk away.
Well, what are you going to do? I'm going to talk to that journalist again.
No.
Why? It worked last time.
Hey.
I don't care about me, Sam.
Well, what about Frank? What's the point of any of this if we just stop? Wait.
Alright, I'll talk to Macca.
It's great.
Fantastic.
MI6, gangs, cover-ups.
It's the perfect scoop.
So you'll print it? No way on God's earth.
First, I like proof.
It's never stopped you before.
Second, I like being alive.
So you think MI6 would have you assassinated? No.
But I think the gangs would.
Oh, Mac, what kind of journalist are you? One that's still around.
You come back to me in ten years.
We'll talk about passion, idealism, if you're still alive and not drowning in this stuff.
I don't judge your road.
I've seen too many people take it.
I might have even been one of those people.
I'll run your story if somebody arrests the gang.
But I'm not going after them.
Speaking of idealism .
.
your Mrs Simpson's seeing the world as it really is for the first time.
Trouble with opening your eyes, it's very, very hard to close them again without a bit of help.
She's not my Mrs Simpson.
The boat captain's got to come back eventually.
You've been down there two nights now.
How long are you going to keep this up? As long as it takes.
The gang's not going to close down the whole operation over one little hiccup.
They've probably changed tack.
A different drug.
A different warehouse.
Sam, what are you doing this for? Mrs Simpson is no longer our client.
Ah Unless she's something more.
What are you talking about? She's married.
Yes.
If you really want to pursue this, I'll support you.
But your friendship with Mrs Simpson will compromise her.
Miss Chen.
Mr Harrison.
Please do not speak.
I understand that our date was lovely and you may desire another, but can I please save you the embarrassment of being refused? So if I did ask, I would be refused? Why, yes, of course.
OK.
Can I ask why? Well, I've drawn up a list, pros and cons.
And while there were some pros Well, that's good to know.
Yeah, the cons.
Right.
Well, it's a good thing that I didn't come to ask for a second date.
Oh.
I'm being sent away.
To where? To Saigon.
Saigon? Why would Mr Thomas send you to Saigon? Is this about Maxwell Black? About what you said to him when you rescued me? Conrad.
We haven't even kissed.
We haven't even kissed? We haven't even kissed.
OK.
We could go through all the trouble of dating, and family, culture, political differences.
Uh-huh.
And then finally kiss and realise we're so completely incompatible, it wasn't even worth all the trouble in the first place.
Yeah.
So what do you suggest? Oh, my God, we're in trouble.
Good evening, Lady Tuckworth.
Sam.
I always seem to be thanking you.
Really? Because of you, Maxwell's a hero.
His funding tracked the source of the drug tampering.
It isn't anyone we know, so everyone's a winner.
Including my husband.
I'm back on the Philippines project.
I fly out tomorrow.
That's wonderful.
Frank! Frank! Thanks again.
Sure.
How did you get on? There's no sign of the captain or the boat.
Probably hired someone else.
And what about Macdonald? Will he print the story? Not without proof.
OK, then, we get some.
How? There's nothing we can do.
Sam.
Mr Miller, can you tell me how you live with yourself? Mrs Simpson.
I'm not quite sure I understand.
You're willing to sacrifice children's lives in order to protect an informant.
And what are they even informing on, anyway? Some deported unionists who haven't done anyone any harm? That captain and the gang he works for are doing people harm.
You're clearly a smart woman, Mrs Simpson, so I won't do you the disservice of pretending that I don't understand what you're talking about.
I'll merely say this.
There's a greater good in ensuring a peaceful transition of the region.
Unfortunately, there will be some casualties along the way.
Yes.
A child is dead.
And what would you have me do? Give up the captain so the police can arrest the gang, put an end to this miserable trade.
That captain is dead by now.
The gang won't allow him to inform against them.
We all make moral choices, Mrs Simpson.
Sometimes we set out with the best of possible intentions and end up making more difficult decisions than we desired.
What could possibly be difficult about deciding who lives and who dies? The children and the captain What could be more difficult than deciding to be faithful to your husband? You expose me, I'll expose you.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Of course.
And I have no idea what you are talking about.
Good evening, Mrs Simpson.
How could he know? We've been so careful.
MI6.
They make it their job to know.
They've probably been sitting on it for months.
Even if he says something, we just deny it.
We could try.
The damage would be done.
We're not even really together anymore, are we? Even if we are, what do I care? I don't care what those narrow-minded people think.
Frank would be finished.
So what do we do? We stop.
It's the sensible thing.
IRMA THOMAS: Anyone Who Knows What Love Is Anyone You can blame me Try to shame me And still I'll care for you You can run around Even put me down Still I'll be there for you The world may think I'm foolish They can't see I'll be back as soon as I can.
Promise.
Oh, but anyone I love you.
.
.
who knows what love is Will understand Anyone Anyone I just feel so sorry Anyone For the ones who pity me Anyone 'Cause they just don't know Anyone Oh, they don't know what happiness and love can be The world may think I'm foolish They can't see you Like I can Oh, but anyone Who knows what love is Will understand Anyone I just feel so sorry Anyone For the ones who pity me Anyone 'Cause they just don't know Anyone Oh, they don't know what happiness and love can be I know I know to ever let you go Oh, is more than I could ever stand Oh, but anyone Who knows what love is Will understand Oh, they'll understand Anyone If they try love, they'll understand Anyone Ohh Hey, hey! Where is she, Hue Lin, my sister? She was pregnant, wasn't she? Whose baby is that? Can't say.
I need you to look after him.
This is gonna get you killed, man.
In our society, you don't simply marry a person.
You embrace their whole family.
But a member of my household betrayed me in keeping the secret.
She cannot go unpunished.
If they find her, they're gonna kill her.
If I find her, she lives.
No.
I slit her throat and fed her to the crabs, like my grandfather ordered.
Why's that? It's not just the politics out there.
Bomb! Kalimantan Whoa! Agh! Which eye? This is what you get for selling Kay Song out to the cops.
That's why I don't get involved.
Not anymore.
Hey, Malaya was a long time ago, OK? Now I've got my work cut out for me.
I've got two hands, a boat, one lousy partner.
Mr Callaghan.
Just the man I'm looking for.
Maxwell Black.
Where have you been all my life? I wasn't born for the most of it.
I'm sorry, Mr Black May I cut in? No, you may not.
The lady's with me.
I don't think so, Mr Black.
West Pacific has many close friends in Washington.
I could get you shipped to Sierra Leone tomorrow.
You have no idea whom you're talking to.
I couldn't stand being away from you for another minute.
I know it must be hard for you, being left alone for days.
Are we risking too much? I mean, do you want to stop? No.
Whatever it is, we're in it together.
Easy money.
A few more jobs like this, I'll be able to afford a new boat.
Well, West Pacific aren't just paying for a boat ride.
They're paying for the security.
Well, you want me to dodge the boat around a little bit? Make it look like there are poison arrows coming out of the jungle? I want you to take it seriously.
Don't worry, I take money very seriously.
Hey, you didn't tell me your girlfriend was coming.
No, I didn't know.
Maybe she's just seeing them off.
Sam.
Maxwell.
Good to see you again.
Yeah.
We've persuaded Mr Macdonald to write a feature piece for us.
Macca.
Shoot me now.
Sam.
Frank.
We've got one extra.
I hope that's OK.
Of course.
Mrs Simpson.
Mr Callaghan.
Callaghan, let's get this show on the road, shall we? We'll need to put in a bigger wharf if we're to take out sizeable quantities of rubber.
Head Office will approve as many wharves as you want.
Right.
- How does she keep so cool? Jesus, Macca, it's a real mistake for you to move more than ten feet away from a bottle of Scotland's finest.
I'm not that stupid.
My mistake was leaving the Duke Hotel in the first place.
Well, you can't write about Singapore from the bar of the Duke.
Watch me.
It's hardly Saigon, is it? No, a fluffy field-written piece.
The only way this story catches fire is if their hospital does.
Yeah, well, it's our first security job, so if the hospital goes up in flames, it'll be our last.
This village had nothing before we arrived.
Fixing up the accommodation, put in a jetty.
You OK? Yeah, of course.
If I knew you loved the jungle so much, I'd take you on every trip.
Yes, please.
This is the hospital.
I'll keep a look out for those poison arrows.
This is the children's ward.
The village had a 10% child mortality rate when we arrived.
Malaria, dengue fever.
But with the medicines we're providing, we're hoping to reduce that to zero by the end of '65.
Malaria's rife in the area, but we are treating all of the children.
Sweetheart.
It's OK.
Hello.
Let me show you this.
What's your name? Claire.
Amir.
Amir.
Hello, Amir.
He still has a fever.
Ma'am, please.
Is something wrong? He is being treated? If something's wrong, you can tell me.
You won't get in trouble.
Well, it's important.
They've got to see us doing the right thing around here, you know.
The medicine's not working.
Those kids have been taking this drug for a week now.
They should be getting better.
They're getting worse.
No, the medicine's fine.
It's the jungle.
It's not like it is back home.
Look, it's good of you to care, but that boy'll be up and running around before we've even docked in Singapore.
Of course.
It's just, uh, that journalist who took a photo of him.
It might not look so good for the company if he dies.
Frank, can you take care of this? Just leave it.
Sam, can you take this back, please? Your girlfriend's a nutjob.
Miss Chen.
You ang mohs terrible manners.
What is it? Ang mohs.
Westerners.
Well, I'd be honoured if you'd instruct me appropriately.
In fact, I believe that you consented to a dinner date.
I did.
Well, would tomorrow night be appropriate? I don't see why not.
And may I collect you, from your parents' residence? No, you may not.
Please collect me here, when I finish work.
I'd be delighted.
Mr Harrison.
Mrs Cheng.
It's only a date, Aunty.
And before you start, he has no hope in the world of progressing to the second one, so I don't need to hear the speech about my parents.
He rescued me from a drunken dance with that horrible Maxwell Black.
The least I can do is let him buy me dinner.
At least, lah.
At least.
You should have seen her, trudging through the jungle as if she was born there.
Darling, it sounds too hideous for words.
Next thing, she'll be running that hospital herself.
Surely not.
Now if Sir Phillip were here, he'd warn you about getting between your wife and a good cause.
See, he made that mistake with me.
But he only did it once.
I'm not sure my boss would be so keen on Claire rescuing the natives.
Ah.
Excuse me.
Sam.
Frank.
Thanks for today.
Overall I think it went pretty well.
Yeah.
What's this? The bottle of medicine your wife got from the nurse.
She was right.
There's something wrong with it.
I don't understand.
It's the right stuff.
It's not out of date.
Page two.
It's only 10% the strength it should be? What's going on? Sam here had that bottle of malaria medicine tested.
You said those kids have been taking the medicine for over a week, yeah? Mm-hm.
Even with poor nutrition, they should have shown some improvement.
So what's wrong with it? It's the wrong medicine? It's old Looks like it's diluted.
How do I explain that you had it tested? Tell him you wanted to make sure the medicine was OK, to cover the company.
Aren't we forgetting the most important thing? Who would do such a thing, and why? That's what they want us to find out.
And we're being hired by the company? Maxwell Black signed off on it? I don't think he's thrilled, but he's not thrilled about the idea of word getting out, either.
The company provided the hospital in drugs.
If anything goes wrong, their name is tarnished.
OK.
I'll start with the company supplying the stuff.
Not quite.
Another job first.
Apparently, Mrs Simpson has insisted on good drugs being taken to the village immediately.
A different brand.
Guaranteed, tested.
Sure, I can do that.
No, she is doing it.
You're being hired to go with her.
Oh.
Problem? No.
She doesn't need to come along, though.
Oh, you know, patronising ang moh woman.
Only she can save the jungle children.
Mm-hm.
Well, I'd be quicker on my own.
You would.
But you're going with her.
Alright.
So it's an agency job now? Fifty-fifty split.
Why is she even here? Oi.
Oi! Kang and I could have taken them.
Maxwell thinks if I get a few mosquito bites, then I'll stop causing trouble.
Doesn't know you very well.
Besides, the company has some big new deal on the line in the Philippines.
Maxwell wants Frank there to deal with the big investors when they fly in, so I'm the only one available.
You're the only one that cares.
Frank cares.
He's just busy.
You know, whenever I think about being a mother .
.
I never think about having a baby - I always think about a little boy, kind of Amir's age.
Playing with him, reading with him.
Think you and Frank will ever have kids? Yeah, we will.
Sorry, it's none of my business.
It's OK.
There's nothing wrong.
It It's just 'cause my Dad wasn't around when I was growing up, and because Frank's away so much - I don't want that for my own kid.
Let's just leave these drugs and get out of here.
If your girlfriend wants to save sick kids, I can show her the rest of South-East Asia.
At least she's doing something.
Yeah, she's paying.
How long? 20 minutes ago.
She said the other children are getting better.
Their families bought this medicine on the black market.
But it's quinine, right? Yeah, but it's a different brand of pharma.
Only the stuff from West Pacific's watered down.
Doesn't make sense.
Maxwell wanted a good news story.
This ain't it.
Well, it's not the first time your kind tried to get away with the cheapest option.
So what do you wanna do now? Take this whole mess back to Maxwell Black.
They're from another village.
Their medicine's not working either.
Why have they come here? They heard this village has good drugs.
Black-market drugs, so they've come to buy them.
But if there are good drugs here, that boy, he should His parents couldn't afford the black-market prices.
So he's using the free drugs from your husband's company.
So it's not just one bad batch? The whole place is riddled with drugs that don't work.
Give the lady a prize.
Kang.
We have to do something.
Yeah, show us the money, we'll do anything you want.
Do you not care at all? I don't pretend to care.
There is a difference.
You think I'm faking this? I think your whole project is a fake.
You, your husband, his boss.
Short-term do-gooders.
Stick a bandaid on, make a few children better.
Everybody looks good.
Now it's all blown up in your face, isn't it? Maybe you're right.
Sorry, I'm really not sure of the problem exactly.
You wanted us to make sure the hospital got good drugs, which we've done.
Kids are still getting sick.
Someone is supplying diluted medicine.
Not by us.
Not anymore.
Well, we need to find out who.
Well, that's a big investigation.
To be honest, it's really not our business.
Now if you really want to follow it up, take it to the police.
Uh if you'll excuse me.
Sam thinks the police won't have the time or the resources to help.
Then it's time to leave it.
You've done all you can.
What if I pay for the investigation, and Sam can track down who Absolutely not.
You'd have to throw an awful lot of mud to see where some of it sticks.
Let's do it.
You've already pissed off Maxwell.
You don't want to upset anyone else.
Like who? The Australian High Commission for one, because the drugs are distributed by an Australian company.
The Americans, because it's a US parent company.
The shipping companies, because they're transporting the drugs and that means old Peranakan families and half of our friends at the club.
Am I wrong? All of the people West Pacific need to stay friends with.
That boy died.
Are you saying that we shouldn't do anything? I'm saying we can't.
Well, it seems we won't be requiring your services after all, Mr Callaghan.
I'm sorry, Sam.
Yeah, me too.
It looks like Mrs Simpson has found a purpose in life.
Callaghan.
You know better than to write a story like that.
Why'd you have to make it so obvious Claire Simpson was your source?! Claire? I never even mentioned her.
You didn't have to.
It's only a matter of time before people work it out.
You could have written that story a million different ways but you're too bloody lazy to get off your arse and find your own sources.
You wrote it exactly the way she would have told you.
I'm not confirming anything.
Jesus.
Look.
And if it was her, she's over 18.
Why are you such a piece of shit, Macca? And you're bloody Prince Charming yourself, aren't you? Thank you, Lanfen.
So we're back on the case.
What, you found the source of the bad drugs? We're going to try.
Thank you! Thank you.
I don't know about this, Claire.
Maxwell's only doing it to take the heat off the company.
He's so pissed off you went to the press.
What can he do? But Macca thinks it could be the drug company itself, dumping inferior drugs in the Third World.
It's not possible, is it? Yeah, it's happened before.
What sort of a person working in a pharmaceutical company in Minnesota says, 'I know how we'll get rid of this bad medicine.
We'll just dump it in Asia'? You're familiar with the general premise of capitalism.
I understand profit.
I just don't understand profiting from death.
It's happening over the other side of the world.
They can't see it so they don't care.
Is it really the world we're living in? Sometimes you're so What? Naive? If you want me to do this, I'll do it.
But once we start, I don't know where it'll take us.
I don't want to stop.
OK.
Very atmospheric, I'll give you that.
Who's your source? Oh, really? That blunt? No footsying around? MI6 don't footsy.
You're blundering into territory you have absolutely no idea about, and it's likely to get you killed.
Is that a threat? Don't be silly.
We're the British.
We don't kill anyone.
Not personally, anyway.
Then, uh what's the interest? Did Claire Simpson give you that story about the sick kids? Eh, you know better than that.
Journalists can't reveal their sources.
If we did, who'd ever tell us anything? Exactly.
Thank you, Mr Macdonald.
Have a good night.
Frank, my star employee.
Claire.
Maxwell.
Thank you so much.
Not at all.
It's important to get to the bottom of this for the sake of the company.
Are you staying for dinner? No, no.
We won't be here long.
Big day tomorrow.
How's that? The delegation flying in from the Philippines.
I'll be at the airport to meet them.
Oh, there's no need.
Roberts is picking them up.
So we're all meeting at company headquarters? Well, he's handling that, as well.
I've put Roberts in charge.
Gives you a chance to concentrate on cleaning up that mess in Malaysia.
Excuse me.
He's punishing you.
For what I did.
Don't worry.
It'll blow over.
Let's go.
Let's just hope Sam can find out what's going on.
Oh, this is a bad idea.
Oh, sorry, this is another bad idea.
Don't you have any good ideas? How about you keep your voice down? That'd be a good idea.
Look for medicine.
The brand is Logos.
Here.
Let's test this one.
So we're stealing now? Unionists.
Deported last year.
What, being smuggled back in? What have deported unionists got to do with tampered drugs? As far as I know, nothing.
So it's a coincidence.
You always say there's no such thing.
Well, there isn't.
I believe you're planning to go to university in the States.
I can't show you anything about Singapore you don't already know, but what I can show you is America, starting with wine.
Fume blanc.
Fume blanc? Fume blanc.
It's from the Napa Valley on the west coast.
My uncle's vineyard.
How did you get that into the country? Food.
Hot dogs.
Hot dogs? Now these are the genuine New York hot dogs complete with onions and mustard.
And music.
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy A Yankee Doodle, do or die A real live nephew from my Uncle Sam Born on the Fourth of July I've got a Singapore sweetheart She's my Singapore joy Yankee Doodle went to Singapore just to find a sweetheart I am that Yankee Doodle boy I am that Yankee Doodle boy! Cheers.
Cheers.
Fume blanc.
Fume blanc.
So we had it tested and that's the real stuff.
Full-strength malaria medicine.
So it's not the drug company.
Then who? The guy who transports it from the warehouse to the village.
Boat captain? It's gotta be, right? He was there.
He would have taken all the drugs, if it hadn't been for the patrol swinging past.
There's a medical conference in town.
Our nurse could be there.
That's worth a shot.
Let's go.
Huh? Yeah, I've got something else to settle first.
So when you received the drugs from the company, the drugs with this label on them, is it the same boat, the same captain, every time? All different.
Sometimes one captain, sometimes another.
What about the person delivering the black-market drugs? Is that the same person every time? Yes.
But how do you know that? So the profit's not in selling the bad drugs, it's in selling the good stuff at an inflated price.
How does that work? Well, someone steals the drugs, dilutes them and puts them back.
And when the kids taking them don't get better, they sweep in with the good stuff and sell it at a marked-up price.
Now what I don't get is how Logos don't know that their drugs are being tampered with.
If it was me, I would dilute ten boxes out of every hundred.
Why, when you can do 20 or 30? Well, 10% is an acceptable commercial write-off.
Logos can explain that it's a bad batch.
Compensate where necessary and claim back the insurance.
Right, so there's got to be a warehouse or a lab somewhere, where stolen drugs are diluted and repackaged.
So how does a boat captain manage that kind of operation? He doesn't.
He's paid to.
One of the secret societies.
So how did you find the place? I went from village to village, talked to a few fishermen, tracked where the bumboat captain had been.
I knew the operation had to be close to water, central to the villages, not too far from town.
I thought you didn't care.
I said I didn't pretend to care.
So now what? Now we've got enough to get the police involved.
Police! Anybody there? Nobody here, sir.
OK, but you arrest the boat captain and the warehouse guys, they'll roll over on the gang.
I've already wasted a day on this.
Oh, come on.
This is your chance to do something.
You could really make your mark here.
You stop the thieves, you stop the kids from dying.
You send a real message to the secret societies.
I don't have the resources to surveil the waterfront for however many nights it takes them to steal the next batch.
You don't have to.
They were interrupted last night.
I guarantee they'll be back again tonight.
I've got a story for you.
Are you kidding me? 'Sorry I was such a prick, Macca.
I didn't mean to go all ape on you yesterday.
Let me buy you a drink to make up for the one you spilt all over me.
' Do you want to hear what it is or not? Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell's going on? He's getting away! Amran and his mates, they made a big arrest early this morning.
Four deported unionists smuggled back to Singapore.
That was last night.
But how did Amran find them so fast? My guess, MI6.
MI6 is protecting the captain? In return for what? Information about illegal immigrants? It's called Operation Deep Freeze.
In '62, they rounded up a bunch of troublemakers and shipped them out of Singapore.
What kind of troublemakers? Those who don't agree with the British point of view.
So the bumboat captain is working for MI6.
Yeah.
Would MI6 know that the captain is also working for the secret society? Probably.
They know that the gang is diluting medicine and they just turn a blind eye? Well, the intel they were getting was worth more than a couple of kids.
So what do we do now? We can't just let it go on I'm sorry, Mrs Simpson, but our job here is done.
Arrests have been made.
Mr Black's company has announced a new scheme is in place.
He's terminated our contract.
But the captain is still out there.
So is the gang.
Nothing has changed.
No-one gets punished.
Welcome to Asia.
Thank you, Mrs Cheng.
I appreciate your help with this matter.
Mrs Simpson.
Claire.
Sometimes you've just got to walk away.
I'm not going to walk away.
Well, what are you going to do? I'm going to talk to that journalist again.
No.
Why? It worked last time.
Hey.
I don't care about me, Sam.
Well, what about Frank? What's the point of any of this if we just stop? Wait.
Alright, I'll talk to Macca.
It's great.
Fantastic.
MI6, gangs, cover-ups.
It's the perfect scoop.
So you'll print it? No way on God's earth.
First, I like proof.
It's never stopped you before.
Second, I like being alive.
So you think MI6 would have you assassinated? No.
But I think the gangs would.
Oh, Mac, what kind of journalist are you? One that's still around.
You come back to me in ten years.
We'll talk about passion, idealism, if you're still alive and not drowning in this stuff.
I don't judge your road.
I've seen too many people take it.
I might have even been one of those people.
I'll run your story if somebody arrests the gang.
But I'm not going after them.
Speaking of idealism .
.
your Mrs Simpson's seeing the world as it really is for the first time.
Trouble with opening your eyes, it's very, very hard to close them again without a bit of help.
She's not my Mrs Simpson.
The boat captain's got to come back eventually.
You've been down there two nights now.
How long are you going to keep this up? As long as it takes.
The gang's not going to close down the whole operation over one little hiccup.
They've probably changed tack.
A different drug.
A different warehouse.
Sam, what are you doing this for? Mrs Simpson is no longer our client.
Ah Unless she's something more.
What are you talking about? She's married.
Yes.
If you really want to pursue this, I'll support you.
But your friendship with Mrs Simpson will compromise her.
Miss Chen.
Mr Harrison.
Please do not speak.
I understand that our date was lovely and you may desire another, but can I please save you the embarrassment of being refused? So if I did ask, I would be refused? Why, yes, of course.
OK.
Can I ask why? Well, I've drawn up a list, pros and cons.
And while there were some pros Well, that's good to know.
Yeah, the cons.
Right.
Well, it's a good thing that I didn't come to ask for a second date.
Oh.
I'm being sent away.
To where? To Saigon.
Saigon? Why would Mr Thomas send you to Saigon? Is this about Maxwell Black? About what you said to him when you rescued me? Conrad.
We haven't even kissed.
We haven't even kissed? We haven't even kissed.
OK.
We could go through all the trouble of dating, and family, culture, political differences.
Uh-huh.
And then finally kiss and realise we're so completely incompatible, it wasn't even worth all the trouble in the first place.
Yeah.
So what do you suggest? Oh, my God, we're in trouble.
Good evening, Lady Tuckworth.
Sam.
I always seem to be thanking you.
Really? Because of you, Maxwell's a hero.
His funding tracked the source of the drug tampering.
It isn't anyone we know, so everyone's a winner.
Including my husband.
I'm back on the Philippines project.
I fly out tomorrow.
That's wonderful.
Frank! Frank! Thanks again.
Sure.
How did you get on? There's no sign of the captain or the boat.
Probably hired someone else.
And what about Macdonald? Will he print the story? Not without proof.
OK, then, we get some.
How? There's nothing we can do.
Sam.
Mr Miller, can you tell me how you live with yourself? Mrs Simpson.
I'm not quite sure I understand.
You're willing to sacrifice children's lives in order to protect an informant.
And what are they even informing on, anyway? Some deported unionists who haven't done anyone any harm? That captain and the gang he works for are doing people harm.
You're clearly a smart woman, Mrs Simpson, so I won't do you the disservice of pretending that I don't understand what you're talking about.
I'll merely say this.
There's a greater good in ensuring a peaceful transition of the region.
Unfortunately, there will be some casualties along the way.
Yes.
A child is dead.
And what would you have me do? Give up the captain so the police can arrest the gang, put an end to this miserable trade.
That captain is dead by now.
The gang won't allow him to inform against them.
We all make moral choices, Mrs Simpson.
Sometimes we set out with the best of possible intentions and end up making more difficult decisions than we desired.
What could possibly be difficult about deciding who lives and who dies? The children and the captain What could be more difficult than deciding to be faithful to your husband? You expose me, I'll expose you.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Of course.
And I have no idea what you are talking about.
Good evening, Mrs Simpson.
How could he know? We've been so careful.
MI6.
They make it their job to know.
They've probably been sitting on it for months.
Even if he says something, we just deny it.
We could try.
The damage would be done.
We're not even really together anymore, are we? Even if we are, what do I care? I don't care what those narrow-minded people think.
Frank would be finished.
So what do we do? We stop.
It's the sensible thing.
IRMA THOMAS: Anyone Who Knows What Love Is Anyone You can blame me Try to shame me And still I'll care for you You can run around Even put me down Still I'll be there for you The world may think I'm foolish They can't see I'll be back as soon as I can.
Promise.
Oh, but anyone I love you.
.
.
who knows what love is Will understand Anyone Anyone I just feel so sorry Anyone For the ones who pity me Anyone 'Cause they just don't know Anyone Oh, they don't know what happiness and love can be The world may think I'm foolish They can't see you Like I can Oh, but anyone Who knows what love is Will understand Anyone I just feel so sorry Anyone For the ones who pity me Anyone 'Cause they just don't know Anyone Oh, they don't know what happiness and love can be I know I know to ever let you go Oh, is more than I could ever stand Oh, but anyone Who knows what love is Will understand Oh, they'll understand Anyone If they try love, they'll understand Anyone Ohh Hey, hey! Where is she, Hue Lin, my sister? She was pregnant, wasn't she? Whose baby is that? Can't say.
I need you to look after him.
This is gonna get you killed, man.
In our society, you don't simply marry a person.
You embrace their whole family.
But a member of my household betrayed me in keeping the secret.
She cannot go unpunished.
If they find her, they're gonna kill her.
If I find her, she lives.
No.
I slit her throat and fed her to the crabs, like my grandfather ordered.