Chief of War (2025) s01e05 Episode Script

1
[VILLAGERS CHATTERING]
[IN HAWAIIAN] The taro is a gift.
What is this part?
It's where the new taro grows.
These are the children
that grow from the parent.
From one taro
will come countless more
that continue to feed us.
These little shoots are, ʻOhā.
- ʻOhā!
- Ah.
This is ʻOhana.
From the parent come the children,
and from the children come family.
We are grown off this land,
just as the taro.
Understand?
Yes!
Now, go and help.
[CHILDREN SHOUTING]
I have been forsaken.
My father has given his War God
to Kamehameha.
A farmer.
Your father has forsaken us both.
He has placed him above his own child.
[KEŌUA SIGHS]
This is a test.
But not a test of your father,
it is a test of the gods.
You must do whatever it takes.
[CHANTING] You are the direct lineage
of Kalaniʻōpuʻu.
[CHANTING CONTINUES]
[CHANTING] His god is your god.
[CHANTING] His god is your god.
[CHANTING] With it,
you will bring honor to your name
and mine, Keōuakū ʻahuʻula
what you did for me in Zamboanga.
Much obliged, 'cause
I'd be under chain and whip by now.
I want you to know I won't forget it.
I won't.
Ever.
[TONY GRUNTS]
You better get topside.
With as much rubbing
as you doing on that thing,
you'll like to get it pregnant now.
[LAUGHING]
I see that you're still amusing
yourself with your guns again.
[SPITS]
[IN HAWAIIAN] Pig shit.
we would face great consequence
if we were seen eating together.
Chief, commoner.
Man, woman.
Our gods forbid it.
I never felt them in my life.
It was always men
telling me what gods want to do.
I have a son.
He was a baby when I left.
My only regret is leaving him behind.
How will he ever understand
why I needed to leave
or how to love a mother he never knew?
[VAI SIGHS]
And what of your family?
You have been gone a long time as well.
What will we be going home to?
All will be as we left it.
[IN HAWAIIAN]
My guardians are with you now.
Good.
Because
you're not getting this back.
I will protect you now.
I have seen you in battle.
I'm not sure
how you've survived this long.
[CHUCKLES]
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[COUNCIL MEMBER]
We stand in the shadow of war.
Where is Kamehameha?
He left the district,
to farm the lands of his childhood.
He cannot ignore us
or the situation with Keōua.
He is not here.
Kaʻahumanu.
We need Kamehameha here.
Not his wife.
She is my daughter.
his stance on Keōua.
He will let it be known
if that would change.
[IN HAWAIIAN] If Kahekili attacks while
we are still divided,
then we are lost.
That blood will be
on both of your hands.
You have Kamehameha's ear.
His words at the temple
were not his words.
They were yours.
I only encourage the part of him
he holds silent.
Do not steer him wrong.
You believe he is the one to lead us.
Trust him to do that.
Kamehameha acts from his own heart.
The heart is what leads men astray.
[WHISTLING MELODY]
- [CHILDREN LAUGHING]
- [VILLAGERS CHATTERING]
[HEKE, IN HAWAIIAN] A ship!
A foreign ship!
A ship!
A chief of our blood sails with them.
He wears the colors of Maui.
Kaʻiana.
[HEKE] The chiefs and warriors
are at the beach to meet them.
[CREWMEN CHATTERING]
[IN HAWAIIAN] A son of Maui
has brought
the Paleskin back to these shores.
Have they come for trade
or something else?
They reunite me with my family,
and, if permitted,
look for rest from their travels.
Kaʻiana.
Yes.
This is the son of Maui's
great war chief, ʻAhuʻula.
He led the attack on Oʻahu,
giving their kingdom to Kahekili.
Yes.
I did.
And I do not ask the
gods for forgiveness for what I've done,
only redemption.
Who is the woman?
Waineʻe.
A daughter of this kingdom.
Our chief, Kamehameha, will decide
if a traitor can stay among us.
But the Paleskins are not welcome
on these sands.
They must stay on the boat.
We'll need provisions.
You will have it.
Sure you don't want us to come with you?
They didn't seem very happy to see you.
I will leave now as well.
Find my family.
We will discuss our plans later.
[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
Hey, fellas.
John?
John. [LAUGHING]
Oh, my Lord.
You're back from the dead.
Look at you.
[TONY] You look well, John.
They been treating you proper?
They have.
[CAPTAIN] Look
what the ocean's brought back to us.
Do you know they've, uh,
they've asked us to stay aboard
until the chief returns?
How long do you think that'll be?
I don't know. There is tension
between the chiefs of this island.
Perhaps it is safer for you
aboard the Nootka for now.
Coming back aboard with us?
'Cause you
must have missed the touches of home.
I believe
I'll be more use to all of us ashore.
- As you like.
- Captain.
As you like.
Mate, come here.
- John Young.
- Good to see you.
[CAPTAIN] Come on.
Put your hands into it.
Your backs into it. Let's go, boys.
Push! And again. Push!
Let's go. Push, boys.
[IN HAWAIIAN] You look strange.
Why do you cover your legs
like the Paleskins?
Foreign men are obsessed with
hiding their genitals.
They cover both legs to ensure it.
[EXCLAIMS]
How do the women know the big fish
from the little ones?
You should wear the leg covers.
Or the Paleskin women
will see a baby shark
among the hammerheads.
The women know I am a hammerhead.
[LAUGHS]
[VILLAGERS CHATTERING, CLAMORING]
- [CHILDREN GASP]
- [SPEAKS HAWAIIAN]
Watch this.
[GRUNTS]
[CHILDREN GASPING]
Look here.
Fire.
Fire.
- Man of Fire!
- [CHILDREN SHRIEK, CHEER]
[KAʻIANA CHUCKLES]
We've never been surrounded by
so many children.
I don't like it.
Get out.
Get out! Scram.
Darn kids.
[SIGHS]
you learn the Paleman's language.
[IN HAWAIIAN] The council uses
the Paleskin's words to avoid spies.
What of Kahekili?
Kalaniʻōpuʻu is dead
and you have sided with Kamehameha.
If this island is truly divided,
Hawaiʻi's kingdom will fall to Kahekili.
The districts will unite again
under Keōua or Kamehameha.
Kamehameha is a good man.
A good man can get many killed.
Keōua's a great warrior.
It takes more than
that to lead a kingdom.
The king gave Kamehameha Kūkāʻilimoku.
Kamehameha has the God of War.
He's seen something in him.
And you see it too.
Then we speak to him.
What else for?
We have joined Kamehameha's village.
We did not come here to live with them.
We came here to prepare them for war.
They already prepare for war.
Not the war that I will bring.
[IN HAWAIIAN]
This is the Royal Council of Kamehameha.
Any concerns should be taken to
the overseer of land.
Keʻeaumoku.
my family
to the fight against Kahekili.
[IN HAWAIIAN]
A Chief of War who abandons his king
will prove to be an enemy to all.
He is a conqueror.
A man who fought for him
would know best how to defeat him.
He is coming.
And if this island is
torn between chiefs,
you will not survive it
when Kahekili attacks.
I can help you unite this kingdom.
[MOKU] We need nothing from you.
Kamehameha is the
fulfillment of prophecy.
He is all we need.
I have heard that before,
and then I watched Oʻahu fall.
Let me speak with your chief.
He is not here, but I am Chief Council,
and you waste my time.
Tell me of your journeys.
In time, little brother.
Where you going?
[IN HAWAIIAN]
I go to make an offering to the gods.
For your return, Kaʻiana.
[JOHN] Kaʻiana.
Kaʻahumanu asks for you.
Do you believe
the chiefs will allow the crew to shore?
You know well how hard the journey is.
The chiefs are cautious.
Not all men would see these islands
as a place to conquer.
It is quite remarkable here.
Particularly her.
Kaʻiana.
I thought
the outside world would find us again,
yet it seems that you
have found it first.
I am happy you are alive.
I will not forget
what you have done for my family.
Thank you.
Your family has made
my life here easier.
Especially Kūpuohi.
You have come far since we first met.
Not as far as you.
Tell me of the outside world.
It is strange.
Lands where the sun is soft,
leaving men pale with many shades.
Others who are loved by the sun.
Their skin beautiful and black.
But there is much suffering.
The Paleskin honors no gods of land.
They steal from it, leaving many sick
and hungry, without homes.
Cruel men with strong weapons
and endless ships.
They will be coming soon.
We must find a king who can face them.
My father believes that
Kamehameha will be the Prophesied One.
I will
not chase another prophesied king.
I do not know prophecy like my father,
but Kamehameha will be a just king.
Meet with him.
Perhaps you will see the man that I do.
Perhaps.
[IN HAWAIIAN] My Chief.
A foreign ship has arrived.
This is not a foreign man you bring.
He is a son of these kingdoms.
I am Kaʻiana a ʻAhuʻula.
You have cared for my family.
I have come to thank you.
Your family has helped Kaʻahumanu
find a new life here.
It is I who thank them.
You sail with foreign men, Kaʻiana.
Do you speak for them?
No.
I speak for no one,
but I bring you counsel.
If you are here to ask death to Keōua,
I have heard that.
Your duty is not to Keōua.
It is to your kingdom.
I am doing this for my kingdom.
I was trained by Kekūhaupiʻo,
the tiger shark of Keʻei.
Before he taught me to kill,
he taught me to cultivate life.
He said something I never forgot.
The quality of the taro
is seen in its shoots.
I want to build a kingdom of peace.
If we can grow it,
our children will do the same.
But if we do not,
the fruit of peace will wither and die.
Your people call you the Prophesied One,
and speak of your feats in battle.
But I do not see a warrior in you.
I see a farmer.
[GRUNTS]
And if I am not the Prophesied One?
I am not here for the Prophesied One.
But
maybe I can serve a Chief
with the heart of a farmer.
The gods will decide
your place among us.
We go to the sled tracks at the volcano.
Sled?
If you win the race,
the gods will accept you in my council.
[KEŌUA] My father trusted each of you
to oversee the protection
and prosperity of our districts.
Kona,
Hāmākua,
Hilo,
and Puna.
[HILO CHIEF]
But, not all districts are represented.
What of Kamehameha
and the district of Kohala?
Do you now exclude him
from matters of the kingdom?
Kamehameha holds no title here,
until he has returned the God of War
to my temple.
And if he doesn't?
He will.
Or we will suffocate Kohala on all sides
with the weight of our districts.
Kamehameha has always been loyal
to your father and this kingdom.
He has shown no ambition
beyond his role as Chief of Kohala.
Yet he has taken the War God.
Why would my cousin accept it,
if not to use it against me?
By giving the War God to Kamehameha,
your father split the political
and spiritual power of this kingdom.
It hasn't been done
in over a hundred years.
[EXCLAIMS]
And it led to war.
I am King of Hawaiʻi.
If any of you have to consider
what that means,
you will find yourself
an enemy of this kingdom.
Your father always ruled with wisdom
over his kingdom.
The caretaker of the War God
has never been defeated.
Perhaps he gave Kamehameha
the War God over you for a reason.
What reason?
Perhaps Kamehameha is best suited
to lead our armies.
Not you.
[PUNA CHIEF] The
gods have been silent on this matter.
We need time to consider what it means.
Until then,
we will not support
any attack on Kamehameha,
or any actions against you,
my King.
from his meeting with Kamehameha?
You're not here for Kaʻiana.
You seek Nāmake.
Do you know where he is?
No.
[IN HAWAIIAN] Let him go!
Nāhi.
I have to talk to him.
Leave him.
Nāmake will find his balance,
he always does.
But keeping this flame alive
will not help him.
It will destroy him.
Our prayers have been answered, Kūpuohi.
Kaʻiana has returned.
He needs us now.
You found Kamehameha?
[IN HAWAIIAN] Yes.
You have been gone so long.
I am sorry this is what
you come home to.
[IN HAWAIIAN] A new awakening.
The sun is in the east. ♪
From the ocean, the ocean deep. ♪
Climbing the heavens,
the highest heavens. ♪
In the east, there is the sun. ♪
A new awakening. ♪
[KAʻIANA,
You're back from death.
I've never spoken to the dead before.
I'm still your brother.
All is as it was before.
[CHANTING, IN HAWAIIAN]
[CHANTING STOPS]
Today, we abandon the usual track.
Our
priests have uncovered an ancient one
and have been preparing it for weeks.
None have tried it yet.
Not even Kamehameha.
Should you lose,
you will have no voice in this council.
- [KAʻIANA CLEARS THROAT]
- [CHANTING RESUMES]
Kamehameha's never lost.
[IN HAWAIIAN] Take
your starting position.
When was the last time
you were on a hōlua sled?
[CHANTING STOPS]
[SIGHS]
I will see you at the bottom.
I hope.
[BLOWS CONCHE]
[SLED RIDERS GRUNT]
[GRUNTING]
[GROANS, SCREAMS]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS, STRAINS]
[SCREAMS, GROANS]
[PANTS]
[GRUNTS, CHEERS]
[KAMEHAMEHA] You're crazy!
What happened?
You are reckless.
You couldn't see the track ahead of you.
Rocks, imperfections, the cliff.
[LAUGHS, SPEAKS IN HAWAIIAN]
Maybe that's why you won today.
The gods have given us
an ally in you, Kaʻiana.
You and your house will join my council.
[CHEERS]
[PANTS]
called for council with Kaʻiana.
The council will not accept him easily.
Kaʻiana knows that.
He wishes to speak with you first.
Why bring me to a ship where men sleep
among the rats and their own filth?
If Kamehameha is the Prophesied One,
he will need help.
You have an army?
No, but I have these.
Take it.
Tell the council
the Red-mouthed weapon
belongs to Kamehameha.