Strange Empire (2014) s01e09 Episode Script

The Resistance

Previously on Strange Empire Mary's been missing you.
She says you're sending her away.
Your men no longer work for me.
The mine is shut down.
You have no money to pay my men.
If not for me, you would lose everything.
Strange Empire 1x09 The Resistance How is it with the miners, Mrs.
Loving? They are beaten.
Have they realized what it means to stand against me? They'll be back.
Henry! Henry, come give me a hand! You need to talk to the men.
Settle this and get them back to work.
Talk's done.
You're spiting yourself.
The town will not survive divided, - and you will go down with it.
- There is no town.
There is me, my child on the way, and my workers, yellow as they are.
Yellow or white, your mine's not safe.
Says franklyn Caze so to squeeze my last dollar.
I saw the wood.
Ling had no issue.
Sit down with the miners.
They are reasonable men.
Never met a man reasonable, missus.
Or a woman.
Shh.
If someone comes, fire a warning shot.
Leave the cart And the cargo.
Speak English, goddammit.
English, English, English! You need to learn some respect.
- What the hell - What? - Red! - Hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
No, no, easy now.
You don't want to be firing that thing.
Not with what you've got on that cart.
Hey! God in heaven.
You could've got us killed.
Ling's dynamite.
No turning back now.
Leave him.
Come on now.
You seen the look on that chinaman's face? Leave him be, and shut it.
You're a hero.
No two ways.
Shh.
Make way back to camp.
Mind no one sees.
- What happened? - Shot.
Here.
Bring him here.
That's a goddamn Chinese! No yellow on the Janestown road! Ignore them.
Hold this.
Firmly.
You know what to do? It will bring hatred upon you, tending to him.
But you will regardless? I no longer hesitate to act, Mr.
Ling.
I do and do not wonder.
Is my boy in you That you're caught and took, Izzy, means God's smiling on us.
And coal And coal, and coal beneath our feet is another sign.
Riches beyond measure.
Thus shall we reap, like the Bible said.
Where does it say that, John? Cornelius patriarch descends upon me And I am ready to receive you, father.
He is coming.
There's the money he's owed, remember? For the payroll? Was me got it out of him with the promise to pay him back.
He's expecting that back? It's me who signed the note.
Saved the day, you did.
Have we the money to repay? We'll pay him in coal, lumps of it.
John You get in that bed, Isabelle, Ling's got dynamite for us.
Blast that seam wide open.
He is a poor man from the Guangdong.
He came to the new world to get rich mining gold.
I paid less than $60 for him.
You purchased the man? I paid his passage from California.
He pays me back in endless labour, with interest.
Amounts to the same thing.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Very impressive.
You are a woman of talents.
But how will you find your way, alone here now? How will you find another man, bear children, live a proper life? A proper life seems not to suit me.
Who shot him? This is a fight to death, Mrs.
Loving.
They're scab labour.
This is our place, such as it is.
And those who were here before you? Indians? It may be your folk have some right to land and welfare, but not them Chinese.
You tell her to hold up nursing that yellow.
You need hold to the side pays you to keep the peace.
Tell her she sends him back to his own.
Back or buried.
Bring him out! Will he live? Too soon to know.
He lost much of his blood.
He will live.
Dozens depend on his wages back home.
He will fight.
Neill shot him? Chinaman pulled out a gun.
Didn't give him no choice.
But you got the dynamite? Got what was coming to him then.
But supposing he's dead.
Makes me a murderer.
My own ma will have to hang me.
We got that dynamite.
Means Slotter can't get at that coal seam.
Men need a proper wage so we have a home.
Was you helped get it.
One chinaman's life is worth that, isn't it? I don't rightly know.
You're a man now, Neill.
Do as men do.
Keep your mouth shut.
Where's my goddamn dynamite, Caze? If you don't tell me, I'll burn you in your tents and sod holes.
Die in one hole or die in another? That your offer? They will hear your offer, Captain.
Woman thinks she's a man, and I will listen.
There is no offer! Not until my dynamite is returned.
Talk before blood, gentlemen.
You need to talk to the chinaman.
You will tell our men not to work.
Not to work? Tiaping, nien.
Rebellion was what pushed these men here, and rebellion will push them again.
They will not push past me.
I own 25% of that mine.
I will own the rest.
I will have everything that belongs to John Slotter.
Take less, more often, and you will have all in time.
Pull our workers from the mine.
Push this John Slotter.
He will fall.
Come on, sweet.
I'I'm your true ma.
You can find the milk in me.
Don't push me off.
It's me who birthed you.
Calm, child.
How did you get yourself back here, Mary, with no carriage or horse? Missus sent you south for proper work and a living.
I couldn't stay.
I heard him crying.
Even far away, he cries and cries.
For me.
Give him to me.
He won't grow right without his real ma.
Give him to me.
Mary.
Mary's come back.
Lonely for her boy, is all.
You're dry, aren't you? Sold your child, and are disabled now to feed him? Isabelle I bought that boy, and I sent you away.
He knows you sold him and left.
No Goddammit! No rush.
She ain't going to get far without shoes.
Stop her! We need that child.
Sloat! Tell that girl to hold up.
Uh, ma'am? Me, I I love a baby.
Be a pretty one, that.
He's mine.
Pretty as his mama then.
That's trouble standing there.
Get rid of that girl.
I figured Slotter would have buckled soon as he knew we had the powder.
Well He can't get at that seam without dynamite.
He can with them chinaman at it day and night.
They'll dig to hell with Ling driving them, blasting powder or no.
We could blow the mine.
Cave Slotter's dreams in with it.
And ours with his? No.
You need to cut him off from Chinatown, then he'll see fit to settle.
I ain't killing her.
What? No! I want to see her blood.
I don't, you're cut loose.
You understand? I ain't got nowhere to go, no one.
No.
No, you're cut loose, with no shelter, no bed to sleep in.
Way you gasp And snort like a stuck pig Ah Hmm? You get it.
Put him in his cradle.
Your man out there, you know what he's asking.
He's sending the girl away, that's all.
It isn't all.
Mary will come back, and we will give her her child, when my time comes.
Your time? I'm pregnant.
You're as pregnant as your pillow.
Murder's what he's asked you to do.
He asked the same once upon a time, and here you are again, same damn fool.
I ain't got no home, ma'am.
God's home and house will provide, even for a sinner like you.
The dynamite has not been found yet.
You have one man half-dead, others will be if you don't act.
What the hell are you doing here? She is seeing to our safety.
Will you leave us to our business? The dynamite is gone, and you are remiss.
It will be found.
I am your partner now.
and a silent partner.
So shut the hell up.
You have workers from me, and men to back you.
Do not forget that those things come from me and belong to me.
I will give you 5% more.
You keep your men working.
My men are more important.
Shh! Shh You need go parley with your chinaman.
Why would I do that? Because I haven't the stomach for it.
He pulled his men off.
Won't put them back till the powder's found.
Fear the whites'll blow the shaft and them within it.
What should I tell him? Whisper in his ear.
Sweetly.
Tell him when my father sees their efforts, he will pay more, buy more chinamen.
Entice him, Isabelle, with the prospect of overrunning these hills, creating a new orient and him emperor.
You are safe? Come to me if you need to.
He wants you to put your men back.
What do you want? I will tell him.
He sent you to me.
To pressure me? To lie to me? To describe a possible future with you as the victor.
Then he sent you to tell me the truth.
Drink, please.
I like to see your lip on the cup.
You belonged to his father once.
Cornelius bought me virgin.
Does your husband know? It is in your nature to belong to yourself, to be free of anyone would hold you.
I would show you freedom.
I would treat you as the empress you were born to be.
The world you are meant to rule is not yet built.
All is in front of you.
All is yours.
I be hoping you will leave off killing me, let me be so's I can bring my boy sometimes, or if not, then peer at him from a distance.
Be cooked in a while.
Will you kill me? I won't.
Stay for supper? I I take your dress, I tell him I murdered you.
And then he'll be at peace.
Hey, take mine.
There's a chill You'll catch your death.
My death? You've already pardoned me, sir.
Be some dancing first.
Like a proper courting? Yeah.
Miss Finn.
Miners want him out of here.
Shot him to send a message.
You stepping in to save him muddles that.
Their dispute has nothing to do with me.
I will save this man his life if I can.
That is what I do.
Whatever your feelings, he has to go back, or they'll kill him.
No knowing how the Chinese will take to this, hauling a half-dead of theirs into their midst.
Good riddance.
You.
Stay.
Afternoon, Mrs.
Slotter.
Mrs.
Loving.
That's his there.
This ain't play-acting.
Let's do it right.
I will give Lao more strength.
The needles apply pressure, release the energy trapped in the body.
Were you trained in such practice? In China.
China.
I would like to go there, to travel.
You will find nothing for yourself.
The lives of women are the same the world over.
Stay here, doctor, and the world will come to you.
Rebecca! Rebecca! Damn, he slipped the noose.
Come on.
Mother! I'm sorry.
Jesus Christ Franklyn, don't.
That poor woman.
I killed her.
I didn't even know she existed And I killed her.
Shh Hush.
It's all right.
No We are not wed.
It is sin.
I only believe in the here and now.
And comfort And soothing And you, Sybil.
Was me did it.
I'm the one shot the chinaman.
How? He was going to kill franklyn.
Will he die? Rebecca says he is strong.
He will live, and I will put a stop to this.
Tell me where the dynamite is hid.
Mary's dress.
She's dead.
You were a long time with Ling.
I was come and gone before the explosion.
And yet I found you there.
I was drawn by the horrific sounds The screaming and the smoke, as yourself.
He longs for you.
The thought of his imaginings sickens me.
It was that led you to send me to him.
I showed my sorrow for his tragedy.
I took his hand in mine, I cherished it some.
Goddamn chink.
It disgusted me! He disgusted me! Did you persuade him? John Slotter! You are going to sit down with Caze and Ling, come to terms with them, or I am set to blow your mansion straight to hell.
Send the yellers back to the railway.
Miners get a dollar more a day, back wages for the lockout, and good, strong timbers every 12 feet.
You send my miners back to the railway They will have your dollar as well.
I'll talk to Ling.
Ask him to back off on the money.
You'll talk to Ling? Mrs.
Slotter can handle both sides of that negotiation, if rumour holds true.
Get Franklyn Caze to agree to timbers alone.
No wage increase.
I've seen the way he looks at you.
I believe you're in the right position.
Go.
Speak to them.
Make the peace.
I want rid of you and your stinking yellows.
Work the railway.
Ask my father for more pay.
We have a contract.
I am your partner in the mine.
Worthless.
You didn't make your end of the bargain.
Slotter! I'll take your offer.
Then we have a deal, Caze.
Get back to work.
There's, um To be a bit of a To be a bit of a get-together tonight.
Men want to let loose after all.
Got Fiona putting up a bit extra from the still.
I'd be happy to spend time, the two of us.
Be occupied with business, would expect.
Need tend to it.
No, no Franklyn Franklyn! Is your spirit turns the earth.

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