The Undeclared War (2022) s02e03 Episode Script

1
Do you remember working with
any Russian specialists?
Sorry, what's this about?
Any progress on our mole?
Sifting through the hay
piece by piece.
There's nothing like going through
your whole love life
with your husband's best friend.
THEY LAUGH.
No tall, dark strangers
taking me aside.
Anything new, or unusual?
From China? Not that I'm aware of.
If they were after something,
what might that be?
And it's definitely
linked to Phil Draper?
Sorry, I forgot my smart card.
David. Charlie's found the mole.
I was born and grew up in Hong Kong.
My father was a biochemist
and academic at HKU.
My mother
she enjoyed the expat life
though I've never truly understood
why Brits are expats
when the rest of the world
are immigrants.
When I was 12,
my father got a post at Bristol.
We went home
or should I say
the opposite of home?
What is that? CLICKS TONGUE.
How did that make you feel?
How did I feel?
Like I'd lost part of myself.
At university, you had
a relationship with a Nicky Chan?
You already know this
and it's in my DV form.
BARBARA SIGHS.
BARBARA CLEARS THROAT.
University, Hong Kong.
He was a law postgrad.
I was at Oxford studying Mandarin.
It was my year abroad.
It was 1997.
I wanted to be there
for the handover.
Historical moment.
Historical betrayal.
200 years, our military
and trading post, our friends,
then our government abandons them
to the Chinese Communist Party.
Nicky was a student leader,
fiercely opposed to Chinese rule.
Before you ask, I loved him.
And then, one day,
he doesn't show up for a date,
doesn't answer his phone.
I write him letters - nothing.
Had he been arrested?
At first, I was terrified
that he had been
but then I heard from others
he'd joined another
pro-democracy group to avoid me.
Paying me back for our
"historical betrayal", I'm guessing.
BARBARA SIGHS
My relationship with Nicky
was bound up with my passion
for Hong Kong and the politics.
You know, I
It was years ago.
And have you seen
Mr Chan since 1997?
In the course of my
duties for MI6, yes.
We had a leak.
MI6 believed someone had infiltrated
the anti-Beijing group
we supported
a CCP agent.
I was sent to Hong Kong to find them.
PHONE RINGS
Well? How did it go?
Mark called me himself
straight afterwards.
What, Mark as in
Director of GCHQ? Mm-hm.
He offered me the post -
Deputy Director of Operations.
You're joking.
Well, that's great! Danny, well done!
I said no.
You said what?
The reason he was calling was
to make it quite clear that
I would need to be available 24/7.
And?
And we have two young children,
he knows that.
He knows what you do.
He made it clear
I could only do the job
If you had a good
stay-at-home wifey - right. Yeah.
He said there's a post available
at GCHQ on the China
any time you wanted it.
Less glamorous, more regular.
Excuse me, but he would never ask
a husband to step back for his wife.
I'm not asking you
to give up something you love.
Yeah, well, I wish I was there
so I could tell him exactly
what I thought of his offer.
DANNY CHUCKLES
Look, we'll talk. We'll talk.
I'm sorry, I'm just tired.
I've been travelling all night
and I've still got to stop
at the Consulate. Mm-hm.
Well done.
You are a star
CAR RADIO CHATTER
Hang on, hang on.
NEWS PRESENTER SPEAKS MANDARIN
Is everything all right? Yeah.
It's fine, just the protests.
Don't worry.
Will you kiss the kids for me?
I will.
Love you. Love you.
NEWS PRESENTER: Hong Kong's
burgeoning Umbrella Revolution
escalated today
with further mass demonstrations
on the streets
as protestors clashed
with Hong Kong police.
PROTESTORS YELL
Activists say proposed reforms to
the Hong Kong electoral system
would undermine
the democratic process.
We're very grateful to London
for sending someone
at such short notice.
President Xi is visiting
the UK next year.
Leaks detailing our support for
the pro-democracy movements,
however minimal,
are proving deeply embarrassing
to the Foreign Office.
There's nothing in existing
agreements that prohibits it.
Perhaps,
but we believe these leaks
have led indirectly
to the arrest of three protestors,
maybe more.
So we'll need to find
the source of the leaks
or they will close
our HK operation
and neither of us want that.
Those of us who grew up out here
feel a responsibility.
Who brought you the leaks?
A lawyer.
One of the leaders in
the Occupy Central movement.
And how do I make contact with them?
Well, he's asked for a meeting
as soon as you arrived.
I've taken the liberty
of arranging it.
Mr Nicky Chan.
You know him?
SIREN WAILS
CHATTER
Bi Ba Ya. You still wear it.
Well, it's my name.
The name I gave you.
Bi - beautiful,
Ba - precious,
Ya - elegant
Barbara.
I took the liberty of ordering.
Ha!
Dumplings, of course.
I mean, we lived off
these as students.
I can't believe it's you they sent.
Any thoughts on who's
leaking to the CCP?
Straight to business.
I have thoughts -
that's why I flagged it.
Whoever it is has top access.
Everything we tell your people,
or your people tell us,
the CCP seem to know immediately.
But I have no proof.
Well, hopefully I can help with that.
And you have family now?
I'm so glad you found someone.
You? Many.
No-one like you.
Ah, don't try and charm me.
You know, you left me
standing in front of that cinema.
You didn't answer my calls,
you didn't answer my letters.
Mm. It was wrong.
I should not have behaved like that.
But was I really so bad
that you had to go and work for
the old colonial enemy in revenge?
I'm here to help you work with
the old colonial enemy
against the new one.
"My enemy's enemy," and all that.
Did you ever think about me?
No. Never. NICKY CHUCKLES.
And even if I tried not to,
your name kept cropping up,
"Nicky Chan, the up-and-coming
star of the Hong Kong bar."
"Nicky Chan, the human rights hero."
"Nicky Chan, Hong Kong
democracy's great defender."
I'm flattered.
So
do you?
Do you have a list of
those you suspect
of passing information to the CCP?
The information leaked was
only known by three people -
two of them my colleagues in
the pro-democracy movement
and your guy at the embassy.
Rupert Wright.
OK.
OK, let's flush them out.
Right, um
I should go.
Thank you
Thank you for the dumplings.
I've literally been on
the go for 24 hours.
Right, here
tomorrow, lunchtime.
And I'm glad it was you
that we had this
chance to meet again.
Helen Huen? Occupy?
An Occupy asset, but one of ours.
Her name has appeared in CCP comms.
She needs out.
I'll see what I can do.
Set a trap, plant some leads,
then see which one ends up
in the hands of the CCP
or the Beijing press.
Then we'll know who our leak is.
I've taken care of my colleague.
Here's a file on two further assets
for each of your two on the list.
Tell them we're arranging
to get our people out in a hurry
and then see which one of
the assets' flats is raided.
What about the assets themselves?
They're safe.
Already in transit.
I'm addressing supporters
at the university today -
do you want to come?
Just like the old days.
Don't think I'll fall for that
student leader act again.
Worth a try.
PHONE RINGS
Hi. Danny?
It's early there, isn't it?
Uh, yeah, it's nearly five.
I couldn't sleep.
Is everything OK?
I just, you know,
I couldn't reach you last night,
and the boys are asking
when you're coming home.
I tired them out in the park,
so they're good. They're doing fine.
They just miss you.
Same as me. I miss you.
I miss you too.
PROTESTORS CHATTER
PROTESTORS CHANT AND YELL
DOOR OPENS
AUDIENCE BOO
POLICE SPEAK MANDARIN
No, no, no.
Let me go!
Leave me be.
I have diplomatic status -
you can't
The Consulate needs to make
an official complaint.
TV NEWS CHATTER
Where's Rupert?
PHONE RINGS
Alex, what's going on?
We're getting you out. What?
What do you mean?
None of you are safe.
The Hong Kong Police searched
the flat of Helen Huen
almost directly after
you planted the story.
What, Rupert Wright was the leak?
Always a shock when it's one of us.
Jesus Christ,
that smug Etonian bastard.
Look, I have to stay.
Barbara, the mission is complete.
You've found the source of the leak.
And given that he is one of ours,
it compromises you and the whole
of the Hong Kong operation.
I'm heading into the office
now to wind it down.
MI6 are abandoning
the people of Hong Kong
when they most need British help.
You can't just leave them to the CCP.
I mean, we have an obligation
We got our man, Barbara.
You got our man, sadly.
Console yourself with that.
HANGS UP PHONE.
PHONE BUZZES
Barbara?
Danny, can you talk?
Yeah, sure. What's happening?
What's going on?
You have to take it.
What? The job.
Are you crying?
Maybe.
You take the job, and I will take
the China Team job, and
Are you sure you're all right?
Yeah.
I love you.
I love HANGS UP PHONE.
And Nicky Chan?
The last I saw of him,
he was being hauled off
by the People's Police.
God knows where he is now.
Dr Napier, welcome to GCHQ.
SIREN WAILS
As we can see from these recent
clips taken on mobile phones,
they had to be smuggled
out of the country.
In short, national security
is being used to wage war
on Hong Kong civil society.
You are welcome, Dr Napier.
Dr Barbara Napier,
China Team Leader, GCHQ.
Sorry I'm late. No problem.
Thank you for the
first-hand testimony, Julia.
A late addition to today's seminar,
and our next speaker from the School
of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London,
on the undermining by the
CCP of the Hong Kong judiciary,
Mr Nicky Chan.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
My life had become impossible.
The state was watching
my every move,
clients were afraid to approach me,
people were afraid
to be seen with me.
I had to get out.
I was very fortunate the School
of Oriental and African Studies
offered me a guest lectureship.
I can do more to help
the Hong Kong opposition
and dissidents of the regime here,
by telling the world,
or at least whoever will listen,
what's going on there.
How long have you been here?
A few months.
And you didn't get in touch?
You have your life.
You should have.
I didn't know what
had happened to you.
I saw you speak that day.
I saw you arrested.
Did they mistreat you?
No worse than others.
And you?
You're no longer with Her
Majesty's Secret Service?
Oh
we parted company.
Difference of opinion -
over Hong Kong, in fact.
What?
Sometimes I think
I made a mistake
not showing up at
the cinema that night.
25 years I've had to wonder, "Why?"
"Why did I walk out on the
one woman I ever loved?"
Well, why did you?
Do you remember when I finally
took you to see my parents
and you charged on ahead
to shake my mother's hand
while I was struggling up the stairs
carrying all those
bags and flowers and?
You know what my mother said
to me in the kitchen? What?
She said I looked like your coolie.
I am so sorry, Barbara.
I beg you to forgive me.
Oh!
Of course I forgive you!
It's water under the bridge.
But, um
I have to go.
That is very generous of you.
I hope that
we can be friends at least,
while I am in exile here.
Of course.
And
if I can help your
situation in any way
OK, that's great.
I believe I will be seeing
you all in two weeks, OK?
Thank you, guys.
OK, well, just do me a favour -
just run it again
just to be sure. Yeah.
Let me call you back.
What brings you up here?
I couldn't possibly say.
The China Nuclear Enquiry.
Uh
I can neither confirm nor deny.
DANNY CHUCKLES.
So did tricky Dicky Marston take
a brown envelope from the Chinese?
I thought you were going into
London to see an academic friend?
Yeah. Yeah, I've got to go.
Don't forget the boys
have rugby today. OK.
Yep. I'll see you. See you later.
SIREN WAILS
Come in.
Hello?
Not interrupting, am I?
No, not at all.
Seminar over. Ah.
Please, have a seat.
Your paper on the suppression
of Occupy, you know
it is very powerful.
I only have a few comments.
Always straight to business.
First, what can I get you?
Coffee? Tea?
Um, a glass of water would be fine.
Two ticks.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
DOOR OPENS
Once a spy, always a spy.
DOOR CLOSES What's this?
Pinned to my door this morning.
And it doesn't upset you?
Yes, a bit.
You get used to it.
I mean, Nicky, this is awful.
"Spy. Traitor. CCP stooge."
There are libel laws in this country.
Look at my deleted email file.
There are ways of tracking down
the people who sent these -
my husband would know.
Let's get a drink.
It is a bit early, isn't it?
It's cocktail hour in Hong Kong.
CHATTER
You know, you should report it.
Let it go.
Let it go?
You can't.
Nicky, it's a clear CCP campaign
to destroy your credibility.
It comes with the territory.
Yes, and finding and stopping
these people comes with it too.
I know who they are -
Hong Kong students.
One threw eggs at me
coming out of a lecture last week.
Well, I hope the college
did something. Ha!
The students have been radicalised.
They think that non-violent
protesters like me
are a waste of space,
that we've achieved nothing
with decades of peaceful protest.
But violence will lose you
international sympathy.
Exactly,
and that is the mistake that
those who radicalised them
want them to make.
And who's that?
The CCP.
Covertly, of course,
to discredit our movement.
If they can convince the British
government that I am a CCP spy,
I'll be deported and sent
straight to a re-education camp.
But who would believe them?
You hate the CCP.
You've spent your whole life
opposing them.
Sure, but
they are very smart.
I bet some of your guys
down at GCHQ believe them.
Oh, come on.
I bet, if you look in your files,
you'll find me named as a CCP spy
in intercepted messages.
I know you can't tell me,
but I wouldn't be at all surprised.
Correct, I can't tell you.
And I wouldn't want you to.
And for the moment,
I'm here with you and I'm OK.
Whisky? No.
Sparkling water.
You were right
the CCP are trying to frame you.
They even photoshopped
you into a picture
outside a Croydon Chinese takeaway.
We know it's an overseas
Chinese police station.
So I AM in your files?
Were.
I've taken care of it
permanently.
Barbara, you're taking
a terrible risk.
I believe one should do
what one knows to be right.
You know, our government
have only ever
exploited and then abandoned
Hong Kong and its people.
I'm not going to be party to the CCP
screwing you all over again.
I owe it to you.
We owe it to Hong Kong.
NICKY EXHALES What is it?
What is it? Are you OK?
Nicky?
Let's walk.
No, no. No, no, no, no.
What is it?
I need to tell you a story
about a boy
taught to hate his own culture
to grieve for the end
of colonial rule.
And it took a beautiful,
elegant and precious white woman
to show him the absurdity of
his colonial upbringing.
I've spent the last 25 years
wondering what went wrong
between us, Barbara.
Our relationship was always
going to be unequal,
just like the relationship
between China and the West.
For God's sake, Nicky,
that sounds like CCP talk.
You
Nicky?
Jesus, Nicky.
Nicky, tell me that you're not
What?!
W?
When did they get to you?
When you were arrested?
What, did they torture you?
Is that how?
Before.
Before? But you were working for us.
No, I saw you at the protest,
what you were saying.
You were arrested, and you
POLICE SPEAK MANDARIN
You were the one that reported
the leak to the Consulate.
You set the trap.
You wanted them to send me.
No, that was just luck.
MI6 were getting close to
discovering I was the MSS agent.
Rupert had a lot of
middle-class guilt, like you,
and a Chinese boyfriend -
that's how we turned him.
If you want to protect yourself
and your boyfriend,
you'll need to take the fall.
We persuaded Rupert in return
for looking after them.
"Looking after them"
After he's served his 14 years.
That's the UK's punishment
for breaking official secrets,
not ours.
I'm sorry you had to
find out this way, truly,
but you need to try to think
beyond all the propaganda
that you've been fed.
The CCP is a responsible power.
China is not Russia.
We are not out to
undermine the West.
You used to say you wanted
to do what is fair and just.
Now is your opportunity.
What?
What, you want me to do
something for you?
Are you out of your mind?
Are you out of your fucking mind?
No, no, no.
I only erased your files
because I believed in what
I thought you stood for.
Jesus Christ,
this has all been a set-up
the hate mails, the email. Fuck!
You've been playing me ever since
I arrived back in Hong Kong.
SHAKILY: I should have seen.
You saw what you wanted to see.
If this were to come to light,
I'd have to disappear, but you
you'd lose your job, go to jail,
and the worst part
your husband,
the new Director of
Operations at GCHQ,
his career would be destroyed
and so, I imagine,
would your marriage.
Hiya!
Is that you, Barb?
Hello?
Hey.
Barbara, what's wrong?
Hey, what's up?
I want a divorce.
This is a joke, right?
Why on earth?
Where's this coming from?
I just, um
It's me. I know, it's me.
I haven't been around much
since I've been Director,
but, no, it's true.
It's true -
you've given up so much for me
and you miss it, you know?
I'll I'll resign.
No, you've only just been promoted.
You can't resign. I won't let you.
You'd sooner divorce me?
I'm resigning tomorrow.
What?
What is happening?
It's me.
BARBARA BREATHES SHAKILY
I'm so sorry, Danny.
WHISPERS: I'm doing
this to save you
from me.
I just
I just need a divorce.
OK, OK, OK, OK. Look, just
If you can look me in the eyes and
tell me that you don't love me
VOICE TREMBLES: I will let you go.
BARBARA SOBS SOFTLY
Tell me you don't love me.
I love you.
One thing.
You said one thing.
This is the one thing.
We need the MAC address
of a sandbox in Malware.
We launched a ransomware attack
on the NHS.
It will land in Malware
sometime soon.
It contains some Mandarin text.
They'll call your department.
What do you think?
I think it's a lot of Chinese text.
In coding terms, it's nonsense.
What's their game?
Don't know.
I'll call the linguists.
What have you got for me?
It's Phil, isn't it?
Dr Napier. Oh, Barbara, please.
Max said you've got some text.
Yeah. It looks like rubbish.
Uh, not sure I needed
the head of department.
Well, I need to keep my hand in,
do my share of the grunt work.
Yeah.
Right.
But I did miss my morning coffee.
I don't think I can do
this without caffeine.
You wouldn't be an angel and get me a
latte from the coffee van, would you?
Here.
Have one yourself.
For the boss's wife, I guess.
Thank you.
Ah.
Sorry, just too much Chinese slang.
Calvin, however, is all over it -
cousins in Beijing.
Right, I'll leave you to it.
Barbara?
Yeah?
Your coffee.
Oh, of course.
Sorry.
In need of caffeine.
CHATTER
Do you have it?
I have done this one thing.
NECKLACE JINGLES
Now I never
ever want to see you again.
I never wanted to hurt you.
I have somewhere else I need to be.
Hey.
You got back in time.
Yeah.
Well, it's our anniversary.
What happened to your necklace?
I, um
I got rid of it.
Consigned the past to the past.
Criminals always return
to the scene of the crime.
LAUGHTER
You all right? Mm.
Hello, you. Hey.
How are you? Yeah.
Happy "When Danny Met Barbara" Day,
you two.
Everything all right, guys?
Yeah, everything's all right.
All good.
Well, whatever it is,
tonight, we leave home at home
and work at work.
Your usual - I took the liberty.
LAUGHTER Ah, thank you, Ravi.
Ms Napier.
Thank you.
Thanks, Ravi.
Thank you, sir.
I'll take those for you.
Cheers. Cheers.
Cheers.
15 years ago
on this day,
in this very restaurant,
a nervous young man
was out on a date
with a beautiful MI6 agent
only for his
best friend to run into them
and run off with the girl.
Married her, last I heard.
Innocent, Your Honour.
I only stopped by to pick up
a chicken tikka masala.
You asked me over.
Yeah.
To be fair,
it wasn't going very well.
And when you brought him over,
I looked up.
There you were, in your anorak.
It was a jacket. Yeah, mm-hm.
Jacket, OK.
And when I looked up, I thought
"Who is this beautiful man"
"Who I want to spend
the rest of my life with?"
Are you all right?
Yeah. Yeah, I, um
I'm just going to nip
to the bathroom.
I'll be two secs.
SHE CLEARS THROA