A Tale of Two Cities (2026) s01e01 Episode Script
Recalled to Life
1
Lucie.
Lucie.
Papa?
-Papa?
-I know.
Shh
Allez
Jarvis, thank God.
Lucie, quick, inside.
We'll never outrun them.
They're here for me.
Go!
No, Papa!
-Take care of her.
-No, no
Papa!
Papa
Papa!
Lucie.
Lucie.
My apologies.
Quite understandable,
Mrs. Lorry.
We at Tellson's were
saddened to hear
of Mr. Lorry's passing.
Your husband was a proud servant
of our bank's interests
in London and Paris
for over four decades.
Thank vou.
I presume you're here
to discuss Jarvis' estate.
That's in hand, Mrs. Lorry.
No, I came to speak
with Miss Manette.
Mr. Lorry took you in
as his ward
after your father's death?
-Yes.
-Your mother, Matilda.
She died when I was very young.
And you have no surviving family
to speak of.
Here or in France?
Then, Miss Manette,
you are now without
a legal guardian.
I don't need to be
anyone else's ward.
You misunderstand.
Since you are no longer subject
to a wardship,
your father's holdings
with Tellson's Paris branch
now revert to you.
Dr. Manette's assets were modest
at the time of his death.
However, Mr. Lorry
invested them judiciously
on your behalf
in the years since.
It seems you are
a young woman of means.
My deepest condolences.
Thank you.
I remember the night
Jarvis brought you here.
You stood in that doorway,
wrapped in his coat.
Just a little thing,
white as a sheet.
Jarvis dedicated his life
to protecting you.
And I made him a promise
to do the same.
But you're not a child anymore.
You want me to leave?
What do you want?
I need some air.
You will remember that,
won't you?
Of course.
Five crowns on the little one.
You mad? He's done in.
Oh!
You haven't got five crowns.
Will in a minute.
Come on!
Here, what about your tab?
I just won five crowns!
You owe me 20!
Yeah, all right.
I'll take a couple of them!
Please, sir.
Hello, Sydney.
Oh!
He's a, he's a lucky boy.
Name, nationality?
Charles Darnay, French.
French?
Lived here for ten years.
On and off.
Tutoring in private homes,
it's all there.
Stop! Thief!
He stole my purse!
Give it back!
Knife!
Oy! Hey, move away!
He's a spy!
He's a French spy!
You're late, Miss Manette.
I'm sure you kept yourself
entertained, Mr. Cruncher.
You have it.
I said fresh.
It's the best I could do.
It's been a while since I went
fishing.
And my rod's awful rusty.
Get yourself a better one.
And hurry before you're missed.
Thank you.
I thought we could try
something more challenging today.
Let's begin.
Herniotomy.
I must speak
with the master of the house,
Mr. Jarvis Lorry.
At this bloody hour
-What's going on?
-I'm
Where have you been?
Er. Out, walking. Who's this?
-As I told your servant
-Er, I'm the valet.
I must speak with the master
of the house, please.
Well, I am both master
and mistress here.
No, for his ears only.
Fetch the watch, Jerry.
-No, please.
-He's bleeding.
Stay! Look, he'll be dead
before the watch get here.
Help, Jerry.
Come on, up!
Help me get him up.
Er Towels,
muslin, water, scissors.
Go!
Lucie?
What on earth?
Press down hard.
Do you want this man to die
on your dining table?
Hester, please!
I need to seal your wound,
but there's no time to stitch it.
-Do you consent?
-No watch.
-No watch.
-Good enough.
Lucie?
-What are you doing?
-Hold him.
-Hard, both of you.
-No
-Brandy.
-For him?
For all of us.
You will explain yourself.
Later.
It'll be ugly if it heals.
My message
My message.
Mr. Jarvis Lorry.
No.
No, you're too late.
Alexandre
Manette.
How do you know that name?
Recalled to life.
No.
Alexandre
Manette.
No! Who are you?
"Recalled to life"!
What do you mean?
Hey, come.
Please. Who are you?
Tell me!
Hey!
Hey!
Charles Darnay?
Ernest de Farge?
Juliette.
"Recalled to life"
Wine merchant send you?
You must be Barsad.
-I'm the tutor.
-Christ.
Where did he find you?
I was told you knew better
than to ask questions.
Do I need to find myself
another ship?
It's going to cost you
double the usual price.
There are English warships
crawling all over the Channel
Ever since you lot joined
the war for the Americans.
Or we come to some arrangement?
Listen.
You don't touch her.
And you don't get
another penny from me.
Just get us to London.
Huh?
You like giving me orders, crapaud?
Well, we'll be on the other side
of the water soon enough.
Go on.
Next!
I've told you before. No.
-All right!
-No! No, no, please!
Name and nationality.
Charles Darnay.
-French.
-French
I lived here for ten years.
On and off.
Tutoring in private homes.
It's all there.
And you?
My servant.
And her papers?
Yes.
Thank you.
Ah!
The knife!
Wasn't sure you'd make it.
This was you.
Alexandre Manette.
"Recalled to life"
That was your message.
I was given a name
and an address.
That's all I know.
Who gave you the message?
You need to start talking
right now
or I'll have the watch here
before you can get dressed.
Am I your patient
or your prisoner?
I can't tell you
who gave me the message.
There are lives at stake,
other than mine.
How did that happen?
A disagreement with a colleague.
One of yours. An Englishman.
I'm French.
-You don't seem French.
-Oh!
And, er,
how do French women seem?
For one, they don't go around
cauterizing strangers'
stab wounds.
Well, actually you're my first.
Women in England aren't permitted
to practice medicine any more
than they are in France.
But you do.
Rather well.
Where do I find the person
who gave you this message?
I already told you.
Alexandre Manette was my father.
I saw him die.
His body face down in the street,
and I have never once doubted
what I saw.
But now you arrive
with this message,
"recalled to life". It
Some bread, please.
It's been days.
Then I'll tell you what I can.
What's your name?
Lucie.
Lucie Manette.
He's alive, then.
This Frenchman.
And that little performance
last night.
Turning this house
into a field hospital.
Wherever did you get such ideas?
Does it matter?
I saved his life.
Whose life, exactly?
This stranger?
Who shows up
claiming to carry
news of your father
on the very day
you come into your inheritance?
What if my father did survive?
Your father died 18 years ago.
I'm sorry.
But it is the truth.
Whatever happened to him,
I have to know.
Friends of mine
they knew of a wine merchant
in Paris.
I was vouched for,
given a job.
To bring a fugitive to London.
And a message.
Which led me to you.
And this wine merchant?
They're good people.
Just trying to resist.
Against what?
Against many things.
The nobility in France
have a law.
LaCorvee.
Slave labor.
I've seen men and women
harnessed to carts
that were driven by whips.
So you decided to fight back too?
No.
I left.
Ten years ago.
I found work here as a tutor.
But I never really
I never really settled.
Always felt like an outsider.
Wha Where are you going?
I've put your household
in danger long enough.
No, no, no No.
Nobody knows that you're here.
-They'd have come by now.
-I have to go.
Two, three days
to gather your strength.
Then you'll take me to Paris.
No, if you can't tell me
where to find this wine merchant
then show me.
You owe me a life.
Take me to him.
Then we're even.
Lucie
Open this door, please.
What?
Take him.
Charles Darnay, I arrest you
in the name of the King.
No!
-This is still my house.
-Get off me!
Ask them
what he's being charged with.
-Treason, Miss.
-What?
He's a French spy,
in the pay of the Americans.
That's a lie.
That's a lie!
That's a lie!
I'm no spy
For what crime, m'lud?
Devoting a lifetime
to the happiness of others.
One might even say charity.
The defendant runs
a notorious whorehouse.
Charity doesn't come into it.
But the good
Christian Parson had
My client sold the property
adjoining his in good faith,
-now all manner of harlots
-Harlots
rut and fornicate
outside his door.
Romance, m'lud.
Is Is love a crime?
My client seeks the right
to repossess the property
Leaving a poor woman destitute.
The defendant appears
neither poor nor destitute,
Mr. Stryver.
Quite so, m'lud.
-My client
-Is a pimp!
My esteemed associate.
You are late, Mr. Carton.
Again.
Uh, madam.
You purchased the property
from the, um
Well, from the parson here.
I did.
And you've, uh
You've been running a,
a bawdy house there ever since.
I have.
But when you, uh
When you
bought the house,
the parson refused
to sell you the freehold.
He's been charging you
a, a lease.
In fact, he's doubled
the cost of the lease
every year since.
-M'lud, this is not a crime.
-Illegal? No.
Unchristian.
Get to the point, Mr. Carton.
Well, the good parson here
remains the freeholder
of the property.
Under law, he is responsible
for any business conducted
on the premises.
A pimp
By his own hand!
A pimp!
This court determines
that the plaintiff
shall repurchase the property
from the defendant
at the price
she originally paid for it.
Conduct your business
elsewhere, madam, if you must.
Thank you, m'lud.
Choose your neighbors
more prudently, sir,
especially if you wish
to fleece them.
Dismissed.
Mr. Carton
Mr. Stryver.
This court is not
a two penny theatre.
Next time, you'll both be
in contempt.
As wise as Solomon, m'lud.
The madam was effusive.
Offered to double our fee
in house credit.
Where are the lemons?
Of course, house credit
doesn't pay the bills.
Not that you have any grasp
of the financials?
Now, we all have our talents.
Remind me what yours is again.
Business acumen, my boy.
You'd be lost, all at sea,
without my pecuniary stewardship.
Yeah, ah
I'd have money in my pocket
instead of an open invitation
to a dose of the clap.
Well, it might do you good,
little female company.
-Yeah.
-When was the last time you
You go? You were never shy
about taking all the credit.
Mr. Carton, forgive the hour.
Not at all.
C.J. Stryver,
advocate to the innocent
and needy. Mrs
Miss Lucie Manette.
How may I be of service?
I require a legal defense.
And you shall have one.
What crime
could a charming young lady
Not for myself.
A friend.
Oh!
And what offence
is the gentleman charged with?
When a beautiful woman,
unmarried,
calls upon a lawyer
at this time
Treason.
I can pay.
Capital charge.
The costs involved would be
Your friend is as good
as acquitted, Miss Manette.
-Now
-I want him.
My associate Sydney Carton
will assist me.
No. I want him
to lead the defense.
I'm not available.
Now, I, I assure you,
Madam, that
-Mr. Carton?
-No.
Why not?
Because I won't waste my time
with star-crossed sweethearts.
Well, neither do I.
He's French, a tutor
we only met a few days ago.
Works fast, even for a Frenchman.
We are not lovers.
So why do you care?
Why does it matter?
And he is a fellow countryman
unjustly persecuted, that's all.
Half a dozen lemons!
It's the middle
of the bleeding night.
I'll pay double!
Bugger off
or I'll call the watchman.
I won't give up, you know.
There's dozens of lawyers
in London.
I already tried them.
Nobody will touch it.
They don't want
to ruin their reputation
defending an unwinnable case.
What makes you think I do?
You represent pimps,
whores and thieves.
You don't have
a good name to lose.
No case is unwinnable.
But the Attorney General
thinks so.
An eyewitness.
The selling of military secrets.
It's, it's all a pack of lies.
But do you think any jury will
give a Frenchman a fair trial?
He doesn't deserve to die,
Mr. Carton.
He's an innocent man.
Nobody is innocent, Miss Manette.
The usual.
-She's paying.
-Yes.
And any lemons
you have back there?
Ain't got none, Sydney.
Just meet him, will you?
I will get you as many lemons
as you want.
An entire bloody tree of them.
God, that is foul.
Will you meet him?
No.
Oh!
-Why not?
-Because I won't be lied to,
Miss Manette.
Now, I may not have a good name
or any reputation to speak of,
but you spend your life
surrounded by cheats
and criminals
and you learn to smell a fraud.
Now, you claim
to barely know this man,
yet here you are chasing me
across the worst part of town,
in the middle of the night,
offering me ten times
the going rate to save his neck.
No.
Make me believe it,
or we have nothing to discuss.
What is he to you?
A second chance at life.
I was
eight years old
when I watched my father die.
But now this,
stranger brings a message
from Paris. "Recalled to life."
That's it?
-That's all you know?
-That he's alive. I,
I can't explain how or why,
but I feel it
here.
I don't know
why I'm telling you this,
I must be out of my mind.
He's agreed to help you, this
this Frenchman?
No, not yet.
But if he dies, then
I can't lose this chance.
You understand
what you'd be risking
defending this man?
The danger to you
if he's convicted.
How do you know he's innocent
of the charges against him?
-How can you be sure?
-I can't.
But he's all I have.
Who's there?
Who are you?
Whatever you think.
Whatever you've been told.
I'm
I'm no spy.
Show yourself.
Show yourself!
I told you I wouldn't give up.
Am I going to regret
our meeting, Miss Manette?
Only if you say no.
Does this mean
you're taking the case?
Yeah.
Thank you.
After.
If we win.
Well call it a show of faith.
Shall we get to work?
I am.
You can go.
Hmm
Here.
Wet it every hour.
It'll cool your blood.
Bring in the prisoner.
Hang him!
Charles Darnay.
You stand indicted
on a charge of treason
against the British Crown.
At the forfeit of your life,
how do you plead?
Not guilty.
Guilty!
Order!
Order in the court!
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Mr. Barsad,
if you could please
tell the court,
what did you see
as you were unloading
at the docks?
The prisoner
meeting with two sailors
on the quayside.
Why were your suspicions aroused?
They were talking French.
What happened next?
The sailors
handed him some papers.
The jury will note
these documents
detail the movements
of British naval forces
in the Americas.
What did you do then,
Mr. Barsad?
I went over.
Asked him what his business was.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
He tried to flee,
so you held him?
He swung for me.
Broke my eye here.
But you were able to snatch
these papers from him
as he ran.
That's right.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
Honest patriot,
your King and country thank you
for your noble act of courage.
Hear, hear!
Hear, hear!
Mr. Barsad,
have you been promised
a spy-catcher's bounty
for this testimony?
I'm a patriot, like he said.
And I hope there's
many more here like me.
You claim you saw
the prisoner talking
with two others at the quayside.
How far away was that?
About as far as that door is
from where I stand.
This far?
Near enough.
The port of London is
one of the busiest in the world.
It must have been quite a din.
Yet you heard
three men speaking French
at this distance.
That's right.
M'lud, I'll ask the court
to talk amongst themselves
for a moment.
What is the point of this?
It's to prove
the witness' evidence.
Make it brief, Mr. Carton.
Mr. Barsad!
What did I say to the Attorney
General just now?
You, er
said something about
the prisoner being innocent,
which he isn't.
He asked what time
the nearest tavern opened.
M'lud, this circus act
is an insult to the court.
The prisoner is accused
of a capital crime.
He stands to lose his life.
Charles Darnay hasn't even been
to the port of London.
He's a simple tutor
who made his home here
ten years ago. Nothing more.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
This man is a French spy.
He was observed
trading in state secrets.
Observed by this witness only.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
Who has sworn to it.
And will you swear to it now,
Mr. Barsad?
Could you identify the prisoner
from another man?
Even with that eye
that you claim is broken.
From any man.
Night or day
in a crowd of 50 yards away.
What about in this room?
The witness has answered
the question, Mr. Carton.
Your argument has been made,
-so if there are no more
-No, one more.
-One more.
-Mr. Carton.
My final question,
on my honor.
Identify the man you saw.
The man to your right.
What about now?
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
M'lud, I must protest.
Is this government so desperate
to curry public favor
by convicting a foreign agent
Do exactly as I do.
That they will falsely accuse
anyone of us.
Are none of us safe
from their treachery.
Conspiracy, m'lud. For shame!
Identify the man again,
Mr. Barsad.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
M'lud, really!
The prosecution's case
rests entirely
on this man's testimony.
The witness
will identify the prisoner
or I will have to dismiss.
The man to the left.
-My left?
-Yes.
No, my left.
I'm afraid not, Mr. Barsad.
Case dismissed.
It seems I owe you two lives.
One will do.
Mr. Carton.
I owe you more
than I can ever repay.
Such fine manners.
Even faced with that mob in court
howling for your blood.
Who are you really, Mr. Darnay?
You're unlike any tutor I know.
Do you see anything
you recognize?
Are we at all alike?
Beyond skin and bone.
I gambled your life
on the toss of a coin.
If the smuggler
had guessed right,
you'd be a dead man
and I'd be drinking in peace.
I think you do not care for me,
Mr. Carton.
Though I cannot say why.
I care for no man on earth
and no man cares for me.
I'll leave you
to your own company then.
You'll drink a toast with me.
One drink,
my fee.
What shall we toast?
Your savior.
To your health?
No.
Ah.
Oh
to Miss Manette, then?
Lucie Manette.
That was you.
Last night.
Hiding in the shadows.
Afraid to be seen.
I was a prisoner.
Waiting to die.
Today I'm a free man.
Free to live my life.
Thanks to you.
Therese.
-Ernest!
-Oh!
Oui.
Oui.
Juliette
Juliette!
Juliette! Juliette!
Juliette! Juliette! No!
Juliette!
Juliette
Allez! Allez!
You're leaving.
Hmm.
I hope you know I did it for you.
Calling the watch.
Well, Charles is no spy.
Charles!
Be careful.
You're young.
The world seems
so simple.
And if you find him,
your father,
what then?
Do you know what it is
to dig a man out of a grave?
I have to try.
This is goodbye then.
These
were amongst Jarvis' papers.
Letters from your father.
Well, Jarvis would have
wanted you to have them.
Oh
Sydney.
Thank you.
You did a good man
a great service.
I didn't do it for him.
I, uh
I leave for Paris.
First thing tomorrow.
I don't know if I'll be back.
Won't Mr. Darnay be with you?
Seems like an ideal escort
for a young lady.
Oh, Miss Manette.
Mr. Darnay settled his own debt.
I hope you find your father.
If anyone can
it'd be you.
We've known each other
less than a day.
How can you be so certain?
Call it a show of faith.
Go on, get the boys,
they'll give you a hand
with that.
Where are the papers?
Two first class cabins to Ostend.
Then we travel over ground
to Paris.
All right, then.
Go on, then. Go through.
You're expecting someone?
No, no.
-Next! Papers!
-It will be dangerous.
And France
may not be as you remember it.
We can always wait a day.
A week.
No.
No more waiting.
"Jarvis"
Lucie and I
must leave Paris tonight.
I fear for our lives.
I fear for France.
A great storm is gathering.
I recall the last verses
Lucie's mother ever wrote to m.
'It was the best of times.
It was the worst of times.
It was the age of wisdom.
It was the age of foolishness.
It was the epoch of belief.
It was the epoch of incredulit.
It was the season of light.
It was the season of darkness.
It was the spring of hope.
It was the winter
"of despair.'"
Lucie.
Lucie.
Papa?
-Papa?
-I know.
Shh
Allez
Jarvis, thank God.
Lucie, quick, inside.
We'll never outrun them.
They're here for me.
Go!
No, Papa!
-Take care of her.
-No, no
Papa!
Papa
Papa!
Lucie.
Lucie.
My apologies.
Quite understandable,
Mrs. Lorry.
We at Tellson's were
saddened to hear
of Mr. Lorry's passing.
Your husband was a proud servant
of our bank's interests
in London and Paris
for over four decades.
Thank vou.
I presume you're here
to discuss Jarvis' estate.
That's in hand, Mrs. Lorry.
No, I came to speak
with Miss Manette.
Mr. Lorry took you in
as his ward
after your father's death?
-Yes.
-Your mother, Matilda.
She died when I was very young.
And you have no surviving family
to speak of.
Here or in France?
Then, Miss Manette,
you are now without
a legal guardian.
I don't need to be
anyone else's ward.
You misunderstand.
Since you are no longer subject
to a wardship,
your father's holdings
with Tellson's Paris branch
now revert to you.
Dr. Manette's assets were modest
at the time of his death.
However, Mr. Lorry
invested them judiciously
on your behalf
in the years since.
It seems you are
a young woman of means.
My deepest condolences.
Thank you.
I remember the night
Jarvis brought you here.
You stood in that doorway,
wrapped in his coat.
Just a little thing,
white as a sheet.
Jarvis dedicated his life
to protecting you.
And I made him a promise
to do the same.
But you're not a child anymore.
You want me to leave?
What do you want?
I need some air.
You will remember that,
won't you?
Of course.
Five crowns on the little one.
You mad? He's done in.
Oh!
You haven't got five crowns.
Will in a minute.
Come on!
Here, what about your tab?
I just won five crowns!
You owe me 20!
Yeah, all right.
I'll take a couple of them!
Please, sir.
Hello, Sydney.
Oh!
He's a, he's a lucky boy.
Name, nationality?
Charles Darnay, French.
French?
Lived here for ten years.
On and off.
Tutoring in private homes,
it's all there.
Stop! Thief!
He stole my purse!
Give it back!
Knife!
Oy! Hey, move away!
He's a spy!
He's a French spy!
You're late, Miss Manette.
I'm sure you kept yourself
entertained, Mr. Cruncher.
You have it.
I said fresh.
It's the best I could do.
It's been a while since I went
fishing.
And my rod's awful rusty.
Get yourself a better one.
And hurry before you're missed.
Thank you.
I thought we could try
something more challenging today.
Let's begin.
Herniotomy.
I must speak
with the master of the house,
Mr. Jarvis Lorry.
At this bloody hour
-What's going on?
-I'm
Where have you been?
Er. Out, walking. Who's this?
-As I told your servant
-Er, I'm the valet.
I must speak with the master
of the house, please.
Well, I am both master
and mistress here.
No, for his ears only.
Fetch the watch, Jerry.
-No, please.
-He's bleeding.
Stay! Look, he'll be dead
before the watch get here.
Help, Jerry.
Come on, up!
Help me get him up.
Er Towels,
muslin, water, scissors.
Go!
Lucie?
What on earth?
Press down hard.
Do you want this man to die
on your dining table?
Hester, please!
I need to seal your wound,
but there's no time to stitch it.
-Do you consent?
-No watch.
-No watch.
-Good enough.
Lucie?
-What are you doing?
-Hold him.
-Hard, both of you.
-No
-Brandy.
-For him?
For all of us.
You will explain yourself.
Later.
It'll be ugly if it heals.
My message
My message.
Mr. Jarvis Lorry.
No.
No, you're too late.
Alexandre
Manette.
How do you know that name?
Recalled to life.
No.
Alexandre
Manette.
No! Who are you?
"Recalled to life"!
What do you mean?
Hey, come.
Please. Who are you?
Tell me!
Hey!
Hey!
Charles Darnay?
Ernest de Farge?
Juliette.
"Recalled to life"
Wine merchant send you?
You must be Barsad.
-I'm the tutor.
-Christ.
Where did he find you?
I was told you knew better
than to ask questions.
Do I need to find myself
another ship?
It's going to cost you
double the usual price.
There are English warships
crawling all over the Channel
Ever since you lot joined
the war for the Americans.
Or we come to some arrangement?
Listen.
You don't touch her.
And you don't get
another penny from me.
Just get us to London.
Huh?
You like giving me orders, crapaud?
Well, we'll be on the other side
of the water soon enough.
Go on.
Next!
I've told you before. No.
-All right!
-No! No, no, please!
Name and nationality.
Charles Darnay.
-French.
-French
I lived here for ten years.
On and off.
Tutoring in private homes.
It's all there.
And you?
My servant.
And her papers?
Yes.
Thank you.
Ah!
The knife!
Wasn't sure you'd make it.
This was you.
Alexandre Manette.
"Recalled to life"
That was your message.
I was given a name
and an address.
That's all I know.
Who gave you the message?
You need to start talking
right now
or I'll have the watch here
before you can get dressed.
Am I your patient
or your prisoner?
I can't tell you
who gave me the message.
There are lives at stake,
other than mine.
How did that happen?
A disagreement with a colleague.
One of yours. An Englishman.
I'm French.
-You don't seem French.
-Oh!
And, er,
how do French women seem?
For one, they don't go around
cauterizing strangers'
stab wounds.
Well, actually you're my first.
Women in England aren't permitted
to practice medicine any more
than they are in France.
But you do.
Rather well.
Where do I find the person
who gave you this message?
I already told you.
Alexandre Manette was my father.
I saw him die.
His body face down in the street,
and I have never once doubted
what I saw.
But now you arrive
with this message,
"recalled to life". It
Some bread, please.
It's been days.
Then I'll tell you what I can.
What's your name?
Lucie.
Lucie Manette.
He's alive, then.
This Frenchman.
And that little performance
last night.
Turning this house
into a field hospital.
Wherever did you get such ideas?
Does it matter?
I saved his life.
Whose life, exactly?
This stranger?
Who shows up
claiming to carry
news of your father
on the very day
you come into your inheritance?
What if my father did survive?
Your father died 18 years ago.
I'm sorry.
But it is the truth.
Whatever happened to him,
I have to know.
Friends of mine
they knew of a wine merchant
in Paris.
I was vouched for,
given a job.
To bring a fugitive to London.
And a message.
Which led me to you.
And this wine merchant?
They're good people.
Just trying to resist.
Against what?
Against many things.
The nobility in France
have a law.
LaCorvee.
Slave labor.
I've seen men and women
harnessed to carts
that were driven by whips.
So you decided to fight back too?
No.
I left.
Ten years ago.
I found work here as a tutor.
But I never really
I never really settled.
Always felt like an outsider.
Wha Where are you going?
I've put your household
in danger long enough.
No, no, no No.
Nobody knows that you're here.
-They'd have come by now.
-I have to go.
Two, three days
to gather your strength.
Then you'll take me to Paris.
No, if you can't tell me
where to find this wine merchant
then show me.
You owe me a life.
Take me to him.
Then we're even.
Lucie
Open this door, please.
What?
Take him.
Charles Darnay, I arrest you
in the name of the King.
No!
-This is still my house.
-Get off me!
Ask them
what he's being charged with.
-Treason, Miss.
-What?
He's a French spy,
in the pay of the Americans.
That's a lie.
That's a lie!
That's a lie!
I'm no spy
For what crime, m'lud?
Devoting a lifetime
to the happiness of others.
One might even say charity.
The defendant runs
a notorious whorehouse.
Charity doesn't come into it.
But the good
Christian Parson had
My client sold the property
adjoining his in good faith,
-now all manner of harlots
-Harlots
rut and fornicate
outside his door.
Romance, m'lud.
Is Is love a crime?
My client seeks the right
to repossess the property
Leaving a poor woman destitute.
The defendant appears
neither poor nor destitute,
Mr. Stryver.
Quite so, m'lud.
-My client
-Is a pimp!
My esteemed associate.
You are late, Mr. Carton.
Again.
Uh, madam.
You purchased the property
from the, um
Well, from the parson here.
I did.
And you've, uh
You've been running a,
a bawdy house there ever since.
I have.
But when you, uh
When you
bought the house,
the parson refused
to sell you the freehold.
He's been charging you
a, a lease.
In fact, he's doubled
the cost of the lease
every year since.
-M'lud, this is not a crime.
-Illegal? No.
Unchristian.
Get to the point, Mr. Carton.
Well, the good parson here
remains the freeholder
of the property.
Under law, he is responsible
for any business conducted
on the premises.
A pimp
By his own hand!
A pimp!
This court determines
that the plaintiff
shall repurchase the property
from the defendant
at the price
she originally paid for it.
Conduct your business
elsewhere, madam, if you must.
Thank you, m'lud.
Choose your neighbors
more prudently, sir,
especially if you wish
to fleece them.
Dismissed.
Mr. Carton
Mr. Stryver.
This court is not
a two penny theatre.
Next time, you'll both be
in contempt.
As wise as Solomon, m'lud.
The madam was effusive.
Offered to double our fee
in house credit.
Where are the lemons?
Of course, house credit
doesn't pay the bills.
Not that you have any grasp
of the financials?
Now, we all have our talents.
Remind me what yours is again.
Business acumen, my boy.
You'd be lost, all at sea,
without my pecuniary stewardship.
Yeah, ah
I'd have money in my pocket
instead of an open invitation
to a dose of the clap.
Well, it might do you good,
little female company.
-Yeah.
-When was the last time you
You go? You were never shy
about taking all the credit.
Mr. Carton, forgive the hour.
Not at all.
C.J. Stryver,
advocate to the innocent
and needy. Mrs
Miss Lucie Manette.
How may I be of service?
I require a legal defense.
And you shall have one.
What crime
could a charming young lady
Not for myself.
A friend.
Oh!
And what offence
is the gentleman charged with?
When a beautiful woman,
unmarried,
calls upon a lawyer
at this time
Treason.
I can pay.
Capital charge.
The costs involved would be
Your friend is as good
as acquitted, Miss Manette.
-Now
-I want him.
My associate Sydney Carton
will assist me.
No. I want him
to lead the defense.
I'm not available.
Now, I, I assure you,
Madam, that
-Mr. Carton?
-No.
Why not?
Because I won't waste my time
with star-crossed sweethearts.
Well, neither do I.
He's French, a tutor
we only met a few days ago.
Works fast, even for a Frenchman.
We are not lovers.
So why do you care?
Why does it matter?
And he is a fellow countryman
unjustly persecuted, that's all.
Half a dozen lemons!
It's the middle
of the bleeding night.
I'll pay double!
Bugger off
or I'll call the watchman.
I won't give up, you know.
There's dozens of lawyers
in London.
I already tried them.
Nobody will touch it.
They don't want
to ruin their reputation
defending an unwinnable case.
What makes you think I do?
You represent pimps,
whores and thieves.
You don't have
a good name to lose.
No case is unwinnable.
But the Attorney General
thinks so.
An eyewitness.
The selling of military secrets.
It's, it's all a pack of lies.
But do you think any jury will
give a Frenchman a fair trial?
He doesn't deserve to die,
Mr. Carton.
He's an innocent man.
Nobody is innocent, Miss Manette.
The usual.
-She's paying.
-Yes.
And any lemons
you have back there?
Ain't got none, Sydney.
Just meet him, will you?
I will get you as many lemons
as you want.
An entire bloody tree of them.
God, that is foul.
Will you meet him?
No.
Oh!
-Why not?
-Because I won't be lied to,
Miss Manette.
Now, I may not have a good name
or any reputation to speak of,
but you spend your life
surrounded by cheats
and criminals
and you learn to smell a fraud.
Now, you claim
to barely know this man,
yet here you are chasing me
across the worst part of town,
in the middle of the night,
offering me ten times
the going rate to save his neck.
No.
Make me believe it,
or we have nothing to discuss.
What is he to you?
A second chance at life.
I was
eight years old
when I watched my father die.
But now this,
stranger brings a message
from Paris. "Recalled to life."
That's it?
-That's all you know?
-That he's alive. I,
I can't explain how or why,
but I feel it
here.
I don't know
why I'm telling you this,
I must be out of my mind.
He's agreed to help you, this
this Frenchman?
No, not yet.
But if he dies, then
I can't lose this chance.
You understand
what you'd be risking
defending this man?
The danger to you
if he's convicted.
How do you know he's innocent
of the charges against him?
-How can you be sure?
-I can't.
But he's all I have.
Who's there?
Who are you?
Whatever you think.
Whatever you've been told.
I'm
I'm no spy.
Show yourself.
Show yourself!
I told you I wouldn't give up.
Am I going to regret
our meeting, Miss Manette?
Only if you say no.
Does this mean
you're taking the case?
Yeah.
Thank you.
After.
If we win.
Well call it a show of faith.
Shall we get to work?
I am.
You can go.
Hmm
Here.
Wet it every hour.
It'll cool your blood.
Bring in the prisoner.
Hang him!
Charles Darnay.
You stand indicted
on a charge of treason
against the British Crown.
At the forfeit of your life,
how do you plead?
Not guilty.
Guilty!
Order!
Order in the court!
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Mr. Barsad,
if you could please
tell the court,
what did you see
as you were unloading
at the docks?
The prisoner
meeting with two sailors
on the quayside.
Why were your suspicions aroused?
They were talking French.
What happened next?
The sailors
handed him some papers.
The jury will note
these documents
detail the movements
of British naval forces
in the Americas.
What did you do then,
Mr. Barsad?
I went over.
Asked him what his business was.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
He tried to flee,
so you held him?
He swung for me.
Broke my eye here.
But you were able to snatch
these papers from him
as he ran.
That's right.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
Honest patriot,
your King and country thank you
for your noble act of courage.
Hear, hear!
Hear, hear!
Mr. Barsad,
have you been promised
a spy-catcher's bounty
for this testimony?
I'm a patriot, like he said.
And I hope there's
many more here like me.
You claim you saw
the prisoner talking
with two others at the quayside.
How far away was that?
About as far as that door is
from where I stand.
This far?
Near enough.
The port of London is
one of the busiest in the world.
It must have been quite a din.
Yet you heard
three men speaking French
at this distance.
That's right.
M'lud, I'll ask the court
to talk amongst themselves
for a moment.
What is the point of this?
It's to prove
the witness' evidence.
Make it brief, Mr. Carton.
Mr. Barsad!
What did I say to the Attorney
General just now?
You, er
said something about
the prisoner being innocent,
which he isn't.
He asked what time
the nearest tavern opened.
M'lud, this circus act
is an insult to the court.
The prisoner is accused
of a capital crime.
He stands to lose his life.
Charles Darnay hasn't even been
to the port of London.
He's a simple tutor
who made his home here
ten years ago. Nothing more.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
This man is a French spy.
He was observed
trading in state secrets.
Observed by this witness only.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
Who has sworn to it.
And will you swear to it now,
Mr. Barsad?
Could you identify the prisoner
from another man?
Even with that eye
that you claim is broken.
From any man.
Night or day
in a crowd of 50 yards away.
What about in this room?
The witness has answered
the question, Mr. Carton.
Your argument has been made,
-so if there are no more
-No, one more.
-One more.
-Mr. Carton.
My final question,
on my honor.
Identify the man you saw.
The man to your right.
What about now?
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
M'lud, I must protest.
Is this government so desperate
to curry public favor
by convicting a foreign agent
Do exactly as I do.
That they will falsely accuse
anyone of us.
Are none of us safe
from their treachery.
Conspiracy, m'lud. For shame!
Identify the man again,
Mr. Barsad.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL:
M'lud, really!
The prosecution's case
rests entirely
on this man's testimony.
The witness
will identify the prisoner
or I will have to dismiss.
The man to the left.
-My left?
-Yes.
No, my left.
I'm afraid not, Mr. Barsad.
Case dismissed.
It seems I owe you two lives.
One will do.
Mr. Carton.
I owe you more
than I can ever repay.
Such fine manners.
Even faced with that mob in court
howling for your blood.
Who are you really, Mr. Darnay?
You're unlike any tutor I know.
Do you see anything
you recognize?
Are we at all alike?
Beyond skin and bone.
I gambled your life
on the toss of a coin.
If the smuggler
had guessed right,
you'd be a dead man
and I'd be drinking in peace.
I think you do not care for me,
Mr. Carton.
Though I cannot say why.
I care for no man on earth
and no man cares for me.
I'll leave you
to your own company then.
You'll drink a toast with me.
One drink,
my fee.
What shall we toast?
Your savior.
To your health?
No.
Ah.
Oh
to Miss Manette, then?
Lucie Manette.
That was you.
Last night.
Hiding in the shadows.
Afraid to be seen.
I was a prisoner.
Waiting to die.
Today I'm a free man.
Free to live my life.
Thanks to you.
Therese.
-Ernest!
-Oh!
Oui.
Oui.
Juliette
Juliette!
Juliette! Juliette!
Juliette! Juliette! No!
Juliette!
Juliette
Allez! Allez!
You're leaving.
Hmm.
I hope you know I did it for you.
Calling the watch.
Well, Charles is no spy.
Charles!
Be careful.
You're young.
The world seems
so simple.
And if you find him,
your father,
what then?
Do you know what it is
to dig a man out of a grave?
I have to try.
This is goodbye then.
These
were amongst Jarvis' papers.
Letters from your father.
Well, Jarvis would have
wanted you to have them.
Oh
Sydney.
Thank you.
You did a good man
a great service.
I didn't do it for him.
I, uh
I leave for Paris.
First thing tomorrow.
I don't know if I'll be back.
Won't Mr. Darnay be with you?
Seems like an ideal escort
for a young lady.
Oh, Miss Manette.
Mr. Darnay settled his own debt.
I hope you find your father.
If anyone can
it'd be you.
We've known each other
less than a day.
How can you be so certain?
Call it a show of faith.
Go on, get the boys,
they'll give you a hand
with that.
Where are the papers?
Two first class cabins to Ostend.
Then we travel over ground
to Paris.
All right, then.
Go on, then. Go through.
You're expecting someone?
No, no.
-Next! Papers!
-It will be dangerous.
And France
may not be as you remember it.
We can always wait a day.
A week.
No.
No more waiting.
"Jarvis"
Lucie and I
must leave Paris tonight.
I fear for our lives.
I fear for France.
A great storm is gathering.
I recall the last verses
Lucie's mother ever wrote to m.
'It was the best of times.
It was the worst of times.
It was the age of wisdom.
It was the age of foolishness.
It was the epoch of belief.
It was the epoch of incredulit.
It was the season of light.
It was the season of darkness.
It was the spring of hope.
It was the winter
"of despair.'"