The Ridge (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

1
EERIE VOCALISING
BIRDS CHIRP
TYPEWRITER CLACKS
HE SIGHS
PHONE CHIMES
PHONE CHIMES
Bring it on, you bastards.
SHE SIGHS
Hmm.
If you're here to have another go
Who's having a go?
I just have some questions,
what's wrong with that?
Was the pounamu a gift from you?
And where were you when Cassy died?
Which are simple,
inoffensive questions.
Look, I know you're going
through hell right now,
but you've got it so wrong.
Cassy and I were best friends,
and I loved her so much.
I'm on her side and yours
if you'd let me.
Bullshit you are.
You were screaming your heads off
at each other before she died.
She wanted you to tell the truth.
What, did she want to leave
Ewan for you?
Did you not want to? Did you want
to shut her up for good?
If I was in a relationship with her,
why the fuck would I
keep it a secret?
Because she was getting married
to another man! She was engaged!
HE SIGHS
Are you protecting someone?
Where were you that day?
Teddy, please.
HE SIGHS
White-baiting with Harry.
Cos when I got back here,
I got word from the fire team
that Cassy hadn't come back
from the peak.
I I miss her like hell, but
I know that you're trying to blame
it on someone, but she fell.
You know, let's CAMERA CLICKS
What? Lying piece of shit, you are.
METAL BANGS
You can't come around here
and do that.
Mia!
SHE HUMS SOFTLY Geez! Mum!
Morning, darling.
The hell is that?
Do you have a photo of her?
Of who?
Of your new girlfriend.
I don't have a girlfriend, Mum.
SHE SIGHS
So much like your father.
That's a really shitty thing to say.
Hey, talk to me. You're upset.
I don't know, I
I just had the rug pulled out, Mum.
Oh.
Hey. Do you think Cassy
was happy here with us?
Because she always said she was.
And now it's like
I can't get any answers. I
I can't ask her why
or what Iwhat I did.
Shit. Hey.
You do know, good darling,
that grief is is a tidal wave
that knocks you off your feet.
It makes your head spin.
It tricks you. It taunts you.
It messes with your mind.
Well, some days you might think
that you're losing it completely.
I often used to see your father
on the street, or in a crowd.
Sometimes, I'd call out to him or
or follow after him
before my mind caught up.
Before I remembered.
Mum, Cassy wasn't who
we thought she was.
I was about to marry
a complete stranger.
And now, I really don't know
what to trust.
Oh, there we are!
DOOR CREAKS AND SHUTS
Oh, uh, I thought
the meeting was at Ewan's.
Teddy Wilson says
you were with him on Tuesday.
What? Bullshit.
So he was lying?
Wait, what are you on about?
Apparently, you were white-baiting
with Teddy Wilson,
down by the river, on Tuesday,
around the time that my sister fell.
That's what he's telling me, anyway.
And now you've just told me
it's bullshit.
No, you're right.
We were white-baiting. What?
Why are you lying to me?
Why are you interrogating me?
Either you're covering for him,
or it was the two of you.
What the hell?
This town is split in two.
What side are you on? Because
I'm betting it's not my sister's.
I don't do sides.
I'm not a farmer,
I'm not a rewilder.
And you know what?
It's not as dramatic as you think.
We've all known each other
a really long time.
We fight about politics,
right versus left,
about sport, rugby or league.
But at the end of the day,
we all agree that we live
in the best place on the planet.
And however we go about keeping it
that way,
we don't kill each other over it.
We were white-baiting.
End of story.
DOOR OPENS AND SHUTS
Good timing.
Is it?
I was going to come find you, but
here you are.
Postmortem results back then?
Foul play confirmed?
Nope. No results yet.
So, you just realised
all on your own?
Had an epiphany that maybe Cassy
was too experienced a hiker
to just fall?
No? Too much to hope for?
Louise Wilson's been to see me.
She said you went round to her farm,
you started throwing some
accusations around.
Well, someone has to.
She said you've been
harassing Teddy.
I have been asking Teddy a lot of
questions about Cassy's death, yes.
If you won't do your job,
I'll do it for you.
Do you know Cassy and Teddy
were sleeping together?
There's a video of them,
swimming naked
in the river together.
Some might say frolicking.
And then, on Tuesday,
they were arguing.
Some kids heard them.
There's a strong possibility
that your daughter was there,
so you might want to ask her.
OK, if I were you,
I'd be very careful
about the kinds
of accusations I'm making.
Teddy told me that your other half
in there and him
were white-baiting
the day that Cassy died.
No?
I was on duty.
So that's a no,
which I already figured,
because he just now seemed like
he couldn't make up his mind.
Which makes me think
he's covering for someone.
What do you think, Detective?
Sargeant.
And I think you're grieving.
And I think you're grasping
for answers. No, don't do that.
Don't treat me like I'm broken.
Because I'm not. I'm fucking angry.
Teddy's a farmer.
Cassy was a rewilder.
They were at war.
I thought Harry said that everyone
in this town got along.
It's a small town.
When it comes to the crunch,
differences are put aside,
like the way that everyone
came together to find Cassy.
What? Oh, you are deluded.
Wake up, you twat. Louise Wilson has
taken out a trespass order
against you,
which she's well
within her rights to do.
And if you set foot on her farm
again, I will arrest you.
Understand?
MUSIC: Low Lays The Devil
by The Veils
Long as the river of song
Mad as the world it moves on
High as the heavenly sea
Low lays the devil in me ♪
Do you recognise this man,
by any chance?
No. Teddy. Teddy Wilson.
He would have been here
last Tuesday.
Teddy Wilson?
Are you sure you've not seen him?
No.
He was probably with another guy.
Yeah, I know Teddy.
He's here every week,
end of the day, like clockwork.
He buys his catch from me.
Buys? Well, yeah.
No-one wants to go home
empty-handed, do they?
So, he was here this last Tuesday,
the day that the girl went missing
up the mountain?
No. You see, Teddy always gives me
some cash, and then I use that cash
to buy a couple of drafts
on the way home, but
But not this week? Nah.
Dry as, eh? I tell you.
OK. Uh, thanks. That's
that's helpful.
You did not find all this shit
on the beach?
Yeah.
Some.
OK, I went through
the recycle bin for some.
You can't say it's made from rubbish
washed up on the beach if it's not.
It's about getting
the message out there.
You don't even have a model.
Because she died.
You know, maybe it's for the best.
Kind of sucks.
I'm going to ask Cassy's sister.
Bullshit!
That psycho bitch?
They're about the same size.
Yeah, nah. I don't think she's going
to want to wear your dress.
But
better news.
Think I'm going to drop this
during the festival.
Wait, did you buy it off her?
SHE SMIRKS
Nah. She handed them over.
Willingly, actually. Yeah.
Wait, so
so now she knows we know
about her stuff
after I talked to her.
So?
Crackhead like her probably
doesn't even remember. Yeah.
You know, who gives a shit?
Can I have one? No.
Probably eaten all of them. I have.
They were mine, you know?
I was saving them.
You got a good pantry, dude.
Yeah, I have.
Can I have this?
What? Put it down.
No? I'll I'll share it
if you want to share it.
Shut Stop! No, I'm serious. It's
going to be a good festival night.
Huh? Come on.
Guess you found my hiding spot.
HE SIGHS
I just couldn't really
deal with today.
It is peaceful.
Mm.
Did Cass ever come here?
Yeah.
But not with me.
It's kind of my, um
alone place, for thinking.
Sorry.
Some coffee? Mm.
I've only got one cup.
Thanks.
So what brings you down here?
Teddy.
Oh.
He knows something.
And he's holding on to it.
Fucker.
Oh, you think? Hmm.
Probably get it out of him, too,
if I paid him another visit.
He'll keep.
Yeah.
Fuck's sake!
MOBILE PHONE PLAYS DANCE MUSIC
Mia?
You OK?
Yeah. Where I'm from, it's rude
to read other people's messages.
Ha!
Is that another local quirk?
It's just an alarm.
I meant to delete it ages ago.
You sure about that?
Yeah.
Uh, I need to go.
Lots to do.
Um
Thanks for the coffee.
Hey.
Are you and your mates
taking the piss? What?
Hanging around outside
the eco-pods, eavesdropping.
What? Why don't you tell me?
Was it you that put the bats
in my room, as well?
Was that your handiwork,
Wednesday Addams?
Well, you seem really mad at me,
but I honestly have no idea
what you're talking about.
Apparently, you gave Josh
and Ava some of your patches.
Yeah, and if someone hadn't
blathered to them about me having
prescription drugs on me, maybe
they wouldn't have zoned in on me.
OK, well, I We actually all
I can make it up to you.
It's fine.
You, Mia Beaton, get to be my model,
on the stage
at the Whitebait Festival.
Cassy was going to wear
the dress I'm making.
Is that actually true?
Why would I make it up?
So, you could see me make an idiot
of myself down a catwalk?
OK, well, one,
you wouldn't be an idiot.
You would be a literal babe
because my dress
is literally stunning.
And two, I don't tell lies.
Well, that would make the first one
in the family not to.
SHE SIGHS
So what, you and Cassy
were close then?
Yeah, she was cool.
She always liked my outfits.
She was legit.
What are you, like, 16?
17. Yeah, so she's not going
to share with you, is she,
about what's happening
really in her life?
Everyone does know
everybody else's business.
Did she ever say anything about her
and Teddy spending time together?
Like, too much time?
Well, Teddy's awesome.
Like, he's really nice.
But she was about to be married
to Uncle Ewan, so
Yeah, nah. "Yeah, nah"? Nah.
She never mentioned anything
about them maybe even being in love?
That would be a literal scandal.
Oh, my God, is that is that
what was happening?
That is so friggin' romantic and
and tragic. And is?
Is that is that
what was happening?
I thought you said
you knew everyone's business.
I'm 17, and no-one talks to me.
Except Cassy.
OK, thanks, Sadie. Hey, do you want
to give me your phone number?
Sadie Grimes touches up dead guys!
Does that happen a lot?
Yep.
So I can call you
to organise a dress fitting?
Stay away from your stupid friends.
They're idiots.
SHE SIGHS
ENGINE REVS
You'll change your mind.
How's Mrs O?
Heard she's a great Airbnb host.
Do you know anything
about local bats?
Yeah, yep. Um, we've got
the long-tail and the short-tail,
which we're in danger of losing.
Um, we do heaps of monitoring.
Anyone all over the country can
ring in and, um, report a sighting.
Oh, well, count me in.
Because I found a bunch of them
in my room last night.
Uh, probably moths.
I do know the difference
between a bat and a moth.
We've got some pretty big bugs here.
You met a weta yet?
I know what I saw.
What I don't know is how they got
into my room
through a closed window.
Do you have any idea how rare
our one and only native mammal is?
You don't just see them
hanging out in the trees,
flapping around of an evening,
and all of a sudden
they're in your room?
Get a grip, yeah?
You know, Cassy once told me
that New Zealanders were some
of the friendliest people
she'd ever met.
Yeah, well.
I know what I saw.
Someone put them
in my room last night.
You honestly think
that after busting my ass
to increase the population,
I would let these precious,
endangered creatures
into your fucking Airbnb?
I think someone wants me
to stop asking questions.
I don't give a shit what you do.
You're imagining things.
Now, if you actually saw a native
bat, please go to our website,
fill in the form, all
the information about your sighting.
We really appreciate the help
to map out where this tiny
population of bats has spread.
I look forward to reading.
Hi.
You missed the funeral meeting.
Harry just left. Yeah.
Thought I'd leave you guys to it.
He had mentioned you'd been
stirring things up a little bit.
Apparently, Louise
is on the warpath, too.
SHE SCOFFS
Whatever. She's full of hot air.
Well, be careful. She swings
that gun around pretty freely.
She wasn't ever going
to pull the trigger.
What did I miss?
Well, hopefully I've got everything.
Yeah.
You knew her really well.
It's bang on.
Yeah, I just I don't get it.
If Cassy loved you,
she wanted to marry you,
then that would be it for her.
She didn't sleep around,
so why would she cheat on you?
I just think,
if she wanted to be with Teddy,
she would call off the wedding.
HE SIGHS
I'm sorry. Do we do we really
have to go there again?
Sorry. Cheating just isn't
the Cassy that I knew.
What?
I mean, no offence, but this
is the first time you've visited.
It's been, what? SHE SCOFFS
Three years or so?
It's not like I can just
hop on a bus or Mia.
M-I-A.
Missing in action.
Cass used to joke about it
all the time.
Well, we called, and we FaceTimed,
and it was fine.
She never said anything.
Well, not to you.
Maybe, like me
you didn't know her all that well.
Maybe she wasn't this great,
perfect person.
I just want to be real with you.
That's all.
You know, if you'd asked me,
I'd have come.
But you did ask.
I did come.
I'm here, Cass.
I'm here.
I'll fix this.
GIRL SCREAMS: Cassy, please!
I will make this right.
Help me!
DOOR SLAMS, PHONE CHIMES
Shit!
Ah!
OK.
Evening.
VIDEO CALL RINGS
Morning, Mia. Jacky, evening.
You'll know Martin Scott
and Ashley McLaren from the board.
Yeah, thanks for getting up
so early.
Please accept our condolences.
This must be an incredibly
difficult time for you.
It is.
But we do have a situation here,
which has to be dealt with
as a matter of priority.
Yeah, understood.
Mr Coulter's family lawyers
have, this morning, informed us
that they will be pursuing
a medical negligence lawsuit
against the hospital.
The issue we have relates to some
intraoperative irregularities,
which have come to light.
The patient was 52 years old, male,
admitted with penetrative
stab wounds.
Fifteen minutes into surgery,
the patient experienced
sudden tachycardia, hypertension
and VF arrest.
Despite everyone's best efforts,
he died on the table.
The an aesthetic nurse
has raised concerns.
Why did he wake after you gave him
the induction agent?
I don't know.
I thought the line had tissued,
but I checked it, and it was OK.
He was a user,
so I had difficult IV access.
I could only get a line
into his external jugular.
Coulter was a big man,
he was a smoker.
I might have underestimated
the dose,
but he had a knife in his belly
and was at risk of bleeding out.
I didn't want to overdo it.
Postmortem results reveal he had
evidence of coronary artery disease,
takotsubo cardiomyopathy,
which, as you know, is a rare
heart condition, which is a result
of a massive
and intense surge of cat echo la mines.
Could the stress of awareness
during an operation -
actually being awake - could that
have contributed to his death?
I think the stress of being stabbed
was enough for that.
There's no evidence that awareness
in anaesthesia
has cardiac implications,
but we do need to consider it.
These results were unusual.
Did you do an IFT test?
Come on, Jacky.
It was emergency surgery.
We didn't have time for that.
Look, we did what we could.
We had evidence
of coronary artery disease on PM.
How were you before this?
What do you mean?
I mean, how have your shifts been?
Same as usual.
Overworked,
not enough hours in the day.
Is there anything else going on
with you that we need to know about?
Uh, other than the death
of my sister, no.
I'm so sorry for your loss,
and I'm sorry
about the timing of this,
but as you know,
I have to investigate all outcomes.
Yeah, look,
none of us like to lose a patient,
no matter who it is.
DEFIBRILLATOR POWERS UP
So, is is that us?
The family are still
making noises about suing.
I thought we'd covered everything.
Their solicitor mentioned
that there is the possibility
of a formal investigation.
Yes, you said.
I'm sorry it's come Uh!
Bollocks.
SHE SIGHS
Oh, my God. What the fuck?
SHE COUGHS
SHE CONTINUES COUGHING
GLASS SHATTERS
EWAN: Mia!
Come on!
Jump!
Cover your face!
Come on!
SHE GROANS
Mia! Fuck! Jump!
Fire's out.
Did you see anyone?
Libby probably wants to have a chat.
Brilliant.
I'll, uh, hold her off
till the morning, eh?
Tell her to talk to her friend,
Louise Wilson.
That's the first person
she should speak to.
Uh, there's a a bed made up
in the study, and
probably a little bit of hot
water left if you want a shower.
Are you OK, Mia?
I mean, truly.
I killed someone.
Back home, before I left.
The patient suffered
a cardiac event.
In surgery.
They're saying
that they think it's my fault.
I'm sorry, that
must feel very shitty.
I'm fucking meticulous.
I take pride in my work.
It's hard to take.
Cassy was always proud of you.
"My sister, the doctor."
Do you know what the worst part is?
This patient that I might
lose my career over
was a rapist.
He was a kiddie fiddler.
Another prisoner attacked him.
So some might say
it's the universe ridding itself
of another worthless,
disgusting bastard.
Of course.
Some might say that.
But what my colleagues are saying
is that they need to investigate.
That his family have a right to sue.
And now, I, I am the one
that has to go through hell
because his heart gave out
whilst we were trying to save
his miserable life.
I'm so sorry.
What the hell happened?
What happened to Cassy's pod?
What do you think?
Probably revenge, I would say.
No way.
Did you see anything, Natalie?
I was in town, getting dinner. Hmm.
We don't know if whoever did it knew
that Mia was inside.
You were inside it when it went up.
They're getting serious now.
Oh, now they're getting serious?
If I was to smell your hand right
now, would it smell like accelerant?
Petrol-driven chainsaw.
Now, why would I want
to get rid of you, Mia?
Go on,
what's your theory on that one?
Well, there was a fire,
and someone lit it.
Unless you're going to tell me
it was the bloody Grey Man.
The Grey Man?
Mia, hey.
Come on, don't go.
Nat was outside Cassy's pod
when I got there.
Hey, look, she would never,
all right?
She helped build those things.
She has a massive crush on you.
Have you noticed that?
Could Cassy have got in her way?
HE SIGHS
OK, maybe she's still got
a thing for me, all right?
But she knows the score,
we're all mates.
Cassy actually really loved her.
Well, I don't know.
I just feel like I have walked
into a massive game of whack-a-mole,
and every time
I'm getting somewhere,
some other random pops up.
And now you're saying that I didn't
know Cassy and that she resented me.
I never said resented.
She'd be within her rights.
I looked after her our whole lives.
I tried to protect her.
And then she comes here,
where it's meant to be paradise,
and it's safe and free.
And she's in love.
And then this happens.
And it
This isn't how it's meant to
God, it just
It doesn't make sense.
Look, Cassy was evolving
this past year.
She had this
I don't know, this super focus.
She was
risk-taking, pushing boundaries.
She was
She was just different
to what she used to be.
Come on.
I've got to show you something.
EERIE MUSIC PLAYS
DOOR CREAKS
Jesus Christ.
What was Cassy doing?
Building bombs?
WOLF GROWLS AND SNARLS
Jesus, what the? Christ!
It's OK. What the fuck?
Ah! It's all right.
Mia
meet Isa.
What the fuck?
My great-great-grandmother
was in fact one of the last
people in Scotland to ever see
a wolf in the wild.
Her name
was Isa.
WOLF BARKS
She lived in the Scottish Borders.
And her father, who was a farmer
came out and shot the thing
right in front of her.
She never forgave him for it.
She never spoke to him ever again,
in fact.
You believe that?
It's one of Annot's
favourite stories.
Some arsehole tried to smuggle
this wolf cub into New Zealand.
She was caught at the border,
put into quarantine.
She was about to be euthanised,
so we rescued her.
Cassy was just
so fired up that night.
You couldn't not get
caught up in it.
So what now?
You can't just keep it locked up.
Yeah, I know.
I wanted to try and smuggle her back
to wherever she came from,
but Cass just would not have it.
So she just kept it in a cage?
Cassy wouldn't do that.
I'm sorry to tell you this, Mia,
but
this is who Cassy had become.
WOLF GROWLS
Who else knows about this?
Just us, Cass and I.
And now that she's gone
I don't know what I'm going to do
to get her back
to where she belongs.
It's not exactly a one-person
kind of job, is it?
What about Natalie?
No, Cass never trusted her
not to tell.
A couple of Chardonnays
with that one,
and she would be telling the whole
world about Cassy's wolf.
Hey, can we?
Yeah.
WOLF BARKS
PHONE RINGS AND STOPS
Ah!
PHONE RINGS
Riz, hi. It's not a good time.
It's late here.
Not really in the mood
to dissect the board meeting.
Are you OK?
Just starting to realise
that I think Cassy
might be a lot more damaged
from our childhood than I realised.
You know what? You're right.
This is a bad time. It's OK.
No, it's OK.
You obviously called for a reason.
Tell me.
It's, uh
I'm sorry. It's Iggy.
He didn't wake up yesterday morning.
I'm sorry, Mia.
Oh.
He went peacefully
if that helps.
OK.
Um
No, it's OK.
He was 17 years old.
It's not a surprise.
I found him at the end of your bed,
like any morning.
Oh.
SHE CRIES
Good on Iggy.
Going in his sleep.
Saving me the vet bills
for the alternative.
I've, uh I've had him cremated.
Everything's taken care of.
OK?
Oh.
Thanks, Riz.
You didn't have to do that.
I suppose you did.
You couldn't really leave him
in the freezer, could you?
Uh um, Mia, do you want me to
I could apply for urgent leave,
come down there.
I I could No.
No. By the time you get here
Cassy will be in the ground, and
I'll be ready to come home anyway.
All right, then. OK.
Thank you.
Bye, Mia.
Cass?
Sorry.
What's up? You OK?
I'm really not.
Woken with an ancient ache
Drew me wordless to your gate
Now I give up
It's no debate
Just a pantomime
A sacrificial socialite
I don't sleep
I'm up all night
This thirst, I fear
Might take my sight
In your maze I'm blind
Could you see me
through your walls
Walking barefoot
through your halls
There is no cure ♪
SHE CLUCKS, CHUCKLES
When someone falls
But what a night to die
While I watch the paint dry
Is it for you or I, I cry?
Darling, it was never real
The head that tricks
the heart to feel
Tonight
While the gatekeeper's sleeping
I'm lifting the key
I'm freeing the city
Tonight
Dawns the age of immortals
Unlock the gate. ♪
CREAKING
DOOR CREAKS
VOCALISING