My Life Is Murder (2019) s05e05 Episode Script

1
(CHEERFUL, FUNKY MUSIC)
Nice spot, Harry.
Yeah, it's good to get some perspective
- sometimes.
- Mm.
How much damage do you think a concrete
gargoyle
would do falling from this height?
Because you're curious, or?
Or a guy was killed
by one six weeks back.
A falling gargoyle?
Come with me.
Victor Townsend, 70 years old.
He was having his nightly ablution stop
near a lemon tree on his son's property.
Ah, a big believer
in nitrogen theory, huh?
This night, there was a party
which didn't stop
Victor from his usual ritual.
Mm-hm.
And then he was hit by
80kg of mythical creature.
I hope he managed to zip up first.
That's what worries you?
Well, that and the fact you used
the words 'usual' and 'nightly',
which implies you don't think this
was some kind of weird accident.
You think it's weird already?
This is Tish Willopee,
the doll that
made Townsend Toys their first million.
Townsend Toys being Victor?
His son and daughter-in-law,
Byron and Dyva.
On the night Victor died, they were
celebrating
the relaunch of this doll,
and on the guest list,
a dozen life-sized Tish Willopees.
(RHYTHMIC, WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS)
Harry, please don't tell me that,
You see where I'm going with this.
The Townsend security cameras
caught one of the Tish dolls
running away from the house
just before Victor's body was found.
Harry, this is an outstanding effort.
Victor was a decent old bloke.
He lived with Byron and Dyva,
helped take care of their daughter.
He was a dad and a grandfather.
The higher-ups are starting
to lean towards freak accident,
but I can't see how.
That thing was heavy.
So this is my last run at it.
Harry, you had me at gargoyle
and killer doll.
The Tish Willopee doll
is based on the
toymaker's childhood imaginary friend.
It's just a ragdoll.
No, no, that's what's so cool about her.
She's, like, old, retro, analogue,
except that she speaks.
She has a software system
that needs constant, tiny upgrades
costing, like, 99c a time.
It's microtransactions.
And these microtransactions are
what made the Townsends their millions?
- Genius, right?
- Money for nothing? Sure (!)
No, Byron and Dyva started out
selling toys at markets around Auckland,
and he wasn't wealthy growing up,
he was raised by a solo mum.
- And you know this how?
- Cos my cousins were really into Tish,
and Byron's story was a big part of it.
You know, the lonely kid
who's best friend is imaginary?
A lot of people can relate to that.
And then he reconnected with Victor
after he became a father himself.
Sad ending to that story.
The party was a launch for
the updated doll, Tish Willopee 2.
Now, she has AI capabilities so
she can have an actual conversation.
It's like talking to a real person.
Or you could just talk to a real person.
Harry and his team have located
and spoken to all of the Tishes,
it's mostly staff and
people hired for the gig,
leaving us pretty much with
the Townsends' inner circle.
What kind of a messed up kid plays
with a creepy doll like that?
So, Mrs Townsend was
dressed up as Tish that night,
as was their personal assistant, Jeri.
Right.
I'm coming too. You're gonna
absolutely need me on site for this one.
You just want to see the toymaker.
(LOW, INTRIGUING MUSIC)
OK. This place is quirky as.
Tish gets her own car.
- Fancy.
- Mm-hm.
(DOORBELL PLAYS FANFARE MUSIC)
- Alexa Crowe,
- Yes and Madison Feliciano?
I'm Jeri Woodruff, Byron and Dyva's PA.
Follow me, please.
Jeri, you were one of the Tish
dolls on the night of the launch, right?
- (EARPIECE BEEPS)
- Location for Byron, please.
Escape room. Copy that. Travelling.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
- (EARPIECE BEEPS)
- What?
I understand. I'll be there in
Everything all right, Jeri?
(EXHALES)
WHISPERS: So good.
Thanks for asking.
He's expecting you.
Oh-ho!
(LAUGHS)
- Come.
- Hello?
Wow.
- (GARGOYLE ROARS)
- (GASPS, LAUGHS)
- Byron Townsend. Alexa Crowe.
- Stop touching things, Alexa.
She's right.
This room is set to self-lock.
Touch the wrong item,
and it triggers the sequence.
It auto-resets to a
new pattern each time.
Well, good to know.
You wouldn't want to
accidentally trigger it
if you're on your way to the loo.
Ah, that has actually happened once,
which is why now I have
this large vase over there.
I'm just kidding.
- Byron Townsend. And you'd be Alexa.
- Indeed.
- And?
- Uh, Madison.
- Ah.
- Hi, Byron.
Hey, has anyone ever told you
that you
would make a wonderful action figure?
(CHUCKLES) Anyway, we're very sorry
to hear about your father,
and hopefully we can find
some answers for you.
That would be good. It's been
a terrible time, terrible.
- Mind if we look around?
- Please do. My house is your house.
Not really.
Uh, Jeri will have to accompany you,
trade secrets in every nook.
Well, the incident happened
during a launch of a new doll.
Could it have been someone who was
trying to sabotage it or hurt sales?
The first drop sold out
in under 60 seconds,
so if that was their plan, they failed.
- 60 seconds? It's impressive
- .Mm-hm.
Pretty normal for Townsend Toys.
In fact, I could release a
small bag of rubber bands,
and my fans would clamour
over each other for it.
What would they be called?
Cos I'd probably be in.
- I like this girl.
- (CHUCKLES)
So, um, where were you
when your father was killed?
I was here in my escape room.
- While there was a party going on?
- Mm. That's why I chose to escape.
Unfortunately, I have a very limited
capacity for social interaction.
All right, so how long would you
say you were in here?
Well, I just came in for a breather,
but accidentally locked myself in.
- So around 60 minutes?
- 57.
I was pretty pleased with that time
as I went through the door.
And that's when I found out
my dad was gone.
If it's all right with you,
we'd like to
get to know your father a little better.
So, you've seen the bowling alley.
Home theatre here.
- And, of course, '80s-themed arcade.
- (ELECTRONIC BEEPING, WHIRRING)
- Oh, amazing.
- Dad's wing is through here.
Your cop mates have
been through already,
of course,
but everything is as Dad left it.
Jeri will have to escort you.
Jeri!
(LAID-BACK, FUNKY MUSIC)
Victor was a rugby guy, huh?
I guess.
Looks like he had a great
relationship with his granddaughter.
Yeah. Gizmo adored him.
They were pretty much best friends.
- (EARPIECE BEEPS)
- Yes.
I'm, I'm with the private investigators.
Detectives. Whatever they are.
Uh, but I'm not meant to leave them by,
(EXHALES) Understood.
(EXHALES) I have to pop out.
Uh do not go anywhere else.
I'll be right back.
(DOOR OPENS, SHUTS)
Victor must have liked
being here, close to family.
He just didn't eat meals with them.
Check it out.
He's got a lot of single person
meals, just like you, Alexa.
I'm not single. I live with you.
See, you'll never get a boyfriend
if you're telling people that.
I don't need a boyfriend.
- I've got you.
- That'll have the same effect.
What's wrong with this picture?
Pass. Looks like a cute
pic of grandpa and the kid.
Yeah, just like all the others.
Byron and his wife don't feature.
I wonder how close Byron
really was to his father.
You get this read after being here
for five minutes?
Shall we?
They said not to go
anywhere unaccompanied.
I don't know if we should
break the rules, Alexa.
OK, Charlie Bucket.
Find Jeri and ask her
where she was the time of.
There's something a bit cold about her.
Yeah. She doesn't love us being here,
does she?
Catch you up later.
(SOFT, INTRIGUING MUSIC)
Someone pushed your friend, huh?
Put some effort into it too.
Was it you?
Don't worry.
Just trolling ya.
All right.
(PANTS)
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Understand this,
Jeri, we are in damage control mode.
It's a functionality adaptation glitch.
What are the tech team saying?
I don't want to be rude.
There's a whole floor of them
and only one of me.
I am looking to you to ring-fence
the situation.
(DOOR CREAKS)
Hello. What's your name?
Gizmo, you're meant to be,
Can I help you?
Alexa Crowe,
friend of the New Zealand Police.
Oh, of course. Dyva Townsend.
- (MUMBLES)
- Oh. Yeah, in a second, darling.
(CHUCKLES) Sorry. The au pair decided
she wanted to pursue other opportunities
- so off she went with no notice.
- Oh, school holidays?
No. Gizmo's home schooled.
She is not a fan of other children.
I'm with you, Gizmo.
Jeri?
Uh, can you sort this out,
please? (CHUCKLES)
Uh, come on, Giz.
I'll set you up with something fun.
Oh, we're just a little busy.
Is there anything I can help you with?
Actually, one question,
what do you think happened
the night Victor died?
About a month before,
we had the house-wash guys here.
We have it done every year.
Anyway, one of them said that some
of the, the masonry was a bit loose.
Oh, so what I think happened was
that there was a freak accident.
Yeah. There's a difference between a bit
loose
and taking a flying leap off the roof.
I saw the space where the gargoyle sat.
I understand the police
have their theories,
but this is my home, not a murder house.
And I really have to get back
to work. (CHUCKLES)
BYRON: Jeri?!
- Thoughts?
- Many.
Hm. Gonna share?
Well, there seems to be
some kind of crisis going on.
- Well, maybe we're the crisis.
- No, it's business related.
I heard the words 'damage control
mode' and 'functionality glitch'.
A glitch? OK.
Well, Byron turned a little cold on me
after he caught me snooping around.
Yeah, his wife's a bit uptight,
and not to mention our outlier, eh.
We have an outlier?
Don't look now,
but she's staring straight at us.
(EERIE MUSIC)
(UPBEAT, FUNKY MUSIC)
So, according to Harry's statements,
Dyva Townsend was watching a movie
with Gizmo in the home cinema.
Byron was in the escape room.
So these people throw a party
and then don't attend the party?
Well, it was a product launch, so
more business than social, I guess.
Jeri handed the guest list
over to the police.
Apart from the hired Tish dolls and
the staff, it was only the family.
So it was a product launch
that no one was invited to.
I'd say they were probably
gonna release some of the footage,
but then Victor died, so they can't.
So either somebody wanted exactly
that, to disrupt the business,
or they planned the
whole thing just to kill Victor
and not be picked out in a line-up.
Hmm.
Who organised this party, then?
The woman who organises
everything in that place.
Jeri
who was also dressed as Tish Willopee.
Phew, cos for a second there,
I thought you were gonna
investigate an 8-year-old kid.
Let's rule out Jeri first.
(LAID-BACK, FUNKY MUSIC)
(DOORBELL PLAYS FANFARE MUSIC)
- Oh, crap.
- Well, good morning to you too.
- I'm sorry. It's just,
- some kind of crisis going on.
Jeri?!
Oh. Are you here with an update?
Well, actually, I was hoping that
you could supply me with a Tish 2 doll.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Byron. I,
Oh, it's fine, Jeri.
Alexa has important work too.
- Please.
- Thank you.
- But no, this doesn't involve her.
- Her?
Not her. Tish. What does Tish
have to do with anything?
Oh, that's what I'm trying to find out.
You see, Victor died during her launch,
so was somebody trying
to stop her going to market?
Or was somebody trying
to distract from the fact that
there's something wrong with the doll?
- Is there?
- (SCOFFS) Of course not.
Well, I only have your word for that.
There is a consumer
supply crush right now,
so the best we can
do is pre-order for you.
It's gonna be about four months, tops.
OK.
In the meantime, could I take another
look around Victor's apartment?
- Jeri can escort me, right?
- Mm.
- Uh, Byron, no.
- Of course she can.
Jeri, please take Ms Crowe
to my father's lair.
Oh, and I really do appreciate
your diligence.
WHISPERS: Thank you.
- Were Byron and Victor close?
- Sure.
That seems like a non-answer.
It's just I read an
article that said that
they reconnected after Gizmo was born.
Well, I wasn't working here then,
but, yes, when Byron became a dad,
he put an effort into
tracking down his own father.
Heartwarming.
- Was Victor a Hurricanes fan?
- I wouldn't know.
But you're from Wellington, aren't you?
Oh, it's OK. We look into everybody
just to know who's who, you know?
Yeah, I'm from Wellington.
So what?
I just thought you might
be a Hurricanes fan too.
Look, I don't mean to be rude,
but you're actually taking the piss.
That is rude.
I have so much to be getting on with,
and I'm babysitting, again.
Oh, me?
Jeri, I get the feeling
you're not happy in your work.
It doesn't help when
you're wasting my time.
I'll speed things up. Where were
you when the gargoyle fell on Victor?
I've already been asked this,
and I
was in the kitchen doing the dishes.
With the kitchen staff?
I thought you were
an executive assistant.
I do whatever I'm asked to.
And somebody asked you to do the dishes?
You are keeping me from my actual work.
And you're giving me non-answers again.
Now, that's OK, Jeri,
because sometimes, it's what
we don't say that speaks volumes.
- (EARPIECE BEEPS)
- Yes?
Yes, I know it's her morning tea time.
Look, I was pulled away. Byron said to,
(EXHALES)
- Hello again.
- Hi.
- Who's your friend?
- Flea Bear.
Well, hello, Flea Bear.
Nice to meet you.
My grandpa died.
Yeah, I know.
I was very sorry to hear that.
I'll have a new one soon.
- OK.
- When you die, you get new people.
When I lived in
a wooden house in the valley,
the iron caught the curtains
on fire, and then I was me.
- Gosh, when did that happen?
- A hundred years ago.
Gizmo, morning tea's ready!
Goodbye.
Bye.
- I didn't realise you were still here.
- I'm just on my way.
Question, was Gizmo at the launch
the night Victor died?
Until she got bored with the adult
conversation
and went to watch a movie.
Your statement said that
you watched it with her.
Yeah, that's right, The Shining.
That's a very odd choice
for an 8-year-old, isn't it?
I have tried with all
the princessy stuff,
but Gizmo is quite a
sophisticated 8-year-old.
She's an old soul.
Oh my God. Gizmo has past life memories?
Or she watches too many scary movies.
One of my little cousins used to
say that when he was an old woman,
he drowned in the well.
Don't make that face.
There is a study into children who
remember details of their former life.
Madison.
And the conclusion is that there's
some kind of non-physical mechanism
which connects them to details that they
can describe really accurately.
Well, you're the one who brought up
past life memories.
Could we just watch the CCTV
Tish doll footage again, please?
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
Is it just me, or is that
a little microphone under the wig?
- Oh, like Jeri wears.
- Exactly like that.
Would Jeri have any reason
to sabotage the doll?
Well, you said that they mentioned
- a functionality adaptation glitch.
- Mm-hm.
Maybe something to do with the
software updates. Let's take a look.
- You sourced the doll?
- Next best thing.
Prithee, let us consult The Toy Boy.
Tish 2 has finally dropped, and, wow,
she is everything we could've
dreamed she would be.
You're showing me a grown man
playing with dolls.
Once activated, adaptive AI enables
Tish to absorb
and respond like a human.
And right now, this one is worth
$3000 on the collector's market. Whoo!
A first edition has to stay boxed
or their value plummets.
Then why are we watching this?
First, you complain about watching
a grown man playing with dolls,
and now you're complaining
because he won't?
No, we cannot find a glitch
if that thing stays in its box.
Well, this is true.
Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho,
Shadowfax, worthy steed!
- Greetings, disciples.
- (DOOR SHUTS)
Hey, if there's a red light on,
it means I'm recording.
Sorry, um, I'm Madison,
and this is Alexa.
Um,
you messaged me about Tish Willopee 2?
Yes. We'd love a closer look.
Oh, well, she's an icon,
no plastic, doesn't look mass produced,
which we love.
We do.
Yeah. And then there's her backstory.
(CHUCKLES) If only everyone's
imaginary friends came to life.
Told you.
- Did you?
- Mm-hm.
Well, hello, dolly. Let's open her up.
- Oh, uh, this one stays NRFP.
- Not removed from package.
Oh, did Madison tell you that we're
investigating a suspicious death?
Uh, Victor Townsend, yes.
And how we think that the new
Tish doll has a technical glitch
which could have something
to do with said death?
If there is a glitch, that actually
makes her even more valuable.
Yes, but it's also important we find out
what happened the
night Victor died and why.
- We just want to hear her speak.
- Uh, do not touch!
(BLADE RINGS)
- No. Just no aggro.
- These toys are my retirement fund.
I I have
a '78 Obi-Wan Kenobi over there.
- With double telescoping lightsabre?
- Yes.
Amazing. (BOTH CHUCKLE)
Alexa, I'll meet you outside.
(BLADE RINGS)
Could you help us get our hands
on another Tish Willopee 2?
OK. Neville went through his contact
list for me, and he's got some leads.
Great. Let's leave him to it.
I may have agreed to go on
the doll hunt with him tomorrow.
You what?
Well, we've talked about us both needing
some more murder-life balance.
Oh, is this, like, a date?
We made a pact!
- No, we didn't.
- Yeah, a date a week.
Since when?
And this week,
it looks like I'm winning.
(FUNKY, UPBEAT MUSIC)
OK, so this is Jeri Woodruff's
Instagram account.
- Uh-huh.
- Here she is at Eden Park last year
watching the Hurricanes play the Blues.
- Who won?
- It doesn't matter who won,
The point is she implied to me
that she was not a fan.
So what's this got to do with anything?
Well, she also told me
that she was not
caught on camera running from the house,
so I'm trying to find some connection
between her and Victor.
I can't find any connection
between Victor
and anyone else in the house either.
There's something weird
about those Townsends.
Other than the fact they
live in a toymaker's mansion
surrounded by dolls
and concrete gargoyles?
They are not a normal, happy family,
Harry, and I'm a Crowe,
so I should know.
All right, then. Come on.
I haven't finished my coffee. Go where?
The Townsends'.
- It's my day off, Alexa.
- We can call it a date.
- Eh?
- Yeah, going someplace,
talking to people,
learning some stuff together.
See, to me, a date is a nice
dinner, some wine, maybe a movie.
Nah! This will be much more fun.
Come on.
(DOORBELL PLAYS FANFARE MUSIC)
Jeri. You remember my friend, Detective
Henare.
I just want to run a few things by him.
I'm pretty sure a cop needs a warrant.
No, it's not like that.
No, it's Harry's day off.
You know? He's just keeping me company.
- Alexa.
- Oh. Hello.
Oh, Dyva.
Hi. I just need
to take another look around.
Oh, goodness. This is gonna go
on and on, isn't it?
No, I really hope not. No, we want
to get you some answers quick smart.
Jeri, take Alexa and the detective
where they need to go, hm?
Come on in, then.
You go with her.
Find out why she
was running from the house that night.
Wait. Where are you going?
Is it true that Byron
has an '80s game arcade?
- Oh.
- (KNOCKS ON DOOR)
- Alexa. I heard you were back.
- Yes. Thanks so much for having me.
What are you working on?
A new doll.
Gizmo Townsend.
Tish was inspired by my
childhood imaginary friend.
This new doll,
my real-life pride and joy.
And how does Gizmo feel
about being made into a doll?
Oh, she is beside herself
with excitement, of course.
You do a lot of publicity with
her, birthday parties, holidays.
Everything's in the women's magazines.
Dyva does like to share
our lives with our fans.
How did her grandfather feel about
that, the photoshoots, the stories?
Oh, what?
They just seemed super close.
I mean, was he a bit protective?
Why would Gizmo need protecting
from her own parents?
My child has everything
she's ever dreamed of,
a house full of wonders, two parents
that absolutely adore her.
I mean, I'm making her into a doll,
for God's sake.
A doll which is going
to make you millions.
I don't understand what any of
this actually has to do with Victor.
Well, you see, somebody killed him.
So an understanding of family
dynamics would help me immensely.
If you say so.
Will you carry on?
(INTRIGUING, FUNKY MUSIC)
Well?
Jeri still denies it was
her caught on camera.
Yeah, 'course she does.
But she did spend a
bit of time with Victor,
took him to appointments,
watched the rugby.
Byron palmed his dad off on her.
And his kid.
Well, how does Jeri feel about that?
She considered it part of the job.
No, I said, how does she feel, Harry?
Probably like I do right now,
Alexa. It's my day off.
So, how about that dinner and a movie,
eh?
Sure.
(GASPS)
OK, I'll go this way.
(TENSE, UPTEMPO MUSIC)
- Whoever it was is a fast mover.
- Damn it!
(EXHALES)
You OK?
- Yeah. You?
- Yeah.
So, who did you upset now?
Uh, Harry
So, you're saying someone
did it deliberately again.
And this time, they left their crowbar.
I've got a unit on the way.
Just don't let anyone leave.
Tell your staff or whoever to stick
around. I want to talk to everyone.
OK. You can take off now.
Sorry?
This just turned into an
active investigation, Alexa.
Uh, can I remind you
that I invited you here?
No, I haven't forgotten.
By the way, as far as dates go,
I've had better.
Rude.
Thank you for your help, as
always. But I'll take it from here.
Sure thing, Detective.
Oh my gosh. Here's one.
No, that's a Tish 1.
What, and they're passing it off as a 2?
Well, this business is rife
with scammers, Madison.
Um, Neville, I just got
an eBay alert at retail price.
Is this also a scam?
The vendor's a civilian.
They don't know what they have.
Hit the 'buy now' button!
- Waiting, waiting
- Here you go.
- Yes, sold!
- Yes, that is what I'm talking about!
Cool! Love a happy customer!
(LAUGHS)
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
- This is great.
- That's awesome.
- JERI: Byron told me what happened.
- It wasn't me!
I know it wasn't you, sweetie.
As if a kid could push
something that heavy.
- I never suggested that.
- So why is Dyva saying Giz did it?
Is she? She doesn't think it was you?
Like I told the cop,
I've never even been up there.
I know what you told him, a big fat lie.
It was you on the
security camera footage
running from the house that night.
- I saw your headset.
- Look, I was just having a moment.
They'd ask me to do the dishes, and
I was just making a dramatic exit.
(CAR APPROACHES)
It's a bit over the top, isn't it?
Well, my friend and I were
almost crushed by falling cement,
and we wouldn't have been the first,
so no, not that over the top.
Not when you have a killer in the house.
No one tells me I'm off a job.
(UPBEAT, FUNKY MUSIC)
This is where she wanted to meet.
Be right back.
Hey.
(SOFT, CURIOUS MUSIC)
Shit.
Madison! Madison.
(CHUCKLES) Meet Tish Willopee 2!
- (LAUGHS) Mission complete!
- Yay! (CHUCKLES)
Wow. Look at this.
Yes.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
- Kia ora.
- Alexa.
Is she meant to be here?
Byron, I was wondering about the
overseas trips you and Dyva take.
Why is she asking me this?
It's just your dad never went with you.
Why is that?
He, uh He didn't like flying.
But he just applied for a passport.
No. No, I Hmm.
- No, I'm very confused, actually.
- Shall I un-confuse you?
Alexa.
Actually, I'll leave you to it.
- Talk to you later.
- Mm-hm.
Mm-hm.
(FUNKY, UPBEAT MUSIC)
- Oh, you got one?
- We did.
How do you make this thing, ?
DOLL: Hi! I'm Tish. Want to be friends?
Uh, unlikely.
Tell me your name,
and I will never forget you.
(EXHALES)
No, thank you.
I'm going back to my sourdough.
The internal temperature of sourdough
should be 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Well, a real little know-it-all,
isn't she?
Hey, Tish. Who killed Victor Townsend?
I need more information
to answer that question.
Yes. Me too, Tish, me too.
But I think we're getting closer.
You OK?
I found a Tish wig in Neville's car.
Ah.
- Well, did you ask him about it?
- I was locked in a car with him.
I didn't want to slip 'Are you
a killer?' into conversation.
Yeah. You usually want
to cushion that one.
And I wanted to check
the party footage again,
because maybe
maybe I've got the wrong idea.
Oh, sure. There could be many reasons
that he has the same
wig that the killer wore.
(RHYTHMIC, WHIMSICAL MUSIC
PLAYS ON COMPUTER)
(MUSIC STOPS)
How did I not notice him before?
And how did he evade the police checks?
Because he's not on the guest list
provided to them. Why not?
That's a question for our friend Jeri.
She's gonna be real pleased
to see me again.
But, Mads, go talk to Neville
in a public place
with a lot of people around.
- Your usual?
- Uh, I think I might wait for my
the other person to get here.
- Same guy as yesterday?
- Mm-hm.
Bit of a spark, huh?
Or not.
Just let me know if you
want me to boot him out, huh?
Thanks, Reuben.
Good morning, beautiful.
So, did, uh, Tish 2 give you
what you were after?
No, Tish didn't, but hopefully you will.
Are you playing me, Neville?
(LAUGHS) What?
You were at the party
the night Victor died
despite telling me that you've
never been to the Townsends' place,
which means you lied to me.
I-I promised I wouldn't tell,
and I never break a promise.
Well, you're about to. Start talking.
(DOOR OPENS)
- Oh, good, you survived.
- I did.
Are you going somewhere?
Yeah, to ask our friend Jeri
about that dodgy guest list.
Oh, about that, turns out The Toy
Boy was personally invited by Jeri.
- Uh-huh.
- She wanted to get some influencers there,
but she didn't tell Byron and Dyva,
so Neville had to pretend
to be one of the hired dolls.
Go on.
And he's such a little fanboy he
snuck off to have a look around,
and guess what, he was recording
on his phone when it happened.
No! When the gargoyle fell?
He got footage of that?
Well, not actual footage, no.
Oh my God.
Oh my God. This is the painting
that Byron commissioned way back,
(LOUD CRASH ON VIDEO)
Look at the timestamp, Alexa.
- 1.13am.
- Yep.
And suspect Tish was caught running
away from the house
at 1am on the dot.
- Before the gargoyle was pushed.
- (EXHALES)
- So it's not Jeri.
- Or Neville.
Well, what do you know?
Your wild doll chase paid off.
I do believe it did.
(DOORBELL PLAYS FANFARE MUSIC)
Me again! Don't worry, Jeri,
you're in the clear.
The gargoyle fell after you were
caught on camera taking off.
But you are guilty of one other thing.
That guest list that you gave to the
police didn't have all the names on it.
That wasn't intentional.
Oh, you didn't intend
to mislead the police?
I was running two separate guest lists.
I know you were.
Byron and Dyva were uptight about
leaks, but you had media pressure,
so you invited a few people
without their sign-off.
- People like Neville Sainsbury.
- Who?
The Toy Boy.
- Oh. Yeah.
- Yeah.
And I gave the police
the wrong list by mistake.
Did I invite a murderer
to my boss' party?
Oh shit, I'm gonna lose my job.
Maybe I won't tell them that
you let in some gate-crashers.
Thank you.
Wait, 'maybe'?
If you escort me somewhere else.
Show me Gizmo's room.
(CURIOUS MUSIC)
Just so you know,
this feels really wrong.
Now, that is not a Townsend toy.
All the rest are.
Flea Bear was a gift from
a family friend or something.
Byron doesn't usually like
non-Townsend toys in the house.
Grubby as hell, but, um,
Gizmo's very attached to it.
She used to sleep with it
as a baby, apparently.
- She's a funny kid, isn't she?
- Yeah. She's a great kid.
Does she ever say any, kind of,
spooky, ghosty things to you?
Sometimes, but you know Dyva and Byron
let her watch all kinds of movies.
There's always a logical explanation
for these things, isn't there?
(LIGHT, INTRIGUING MUSIC)
DOLL: Tell me your name,
and I will never forget you.
Nope.
You're not my real mom.
Never said I was.
- You're not my real mom.
- Oh, is this the glitch?
Go, Hurricanes!
- What did you say?
- You're not my real mom.
Cats have fleas. Cats have fleas.
Cats have fleas. ♪
(CURIOUS, FUNKY MUSIC)
So, Neville has intel that
the Tish Willopee glitch is sorted.
Did he say what it was?
Yeah,
apparently it was saying random things,
but they've put out a new upgrade
on the Tish app.
OK. You're doing that thing again
where there's something going on.
What are you thinking, Alexa?
I was thinking about a
conversation I had with Gizmo.
And also something you said
about reincarnation. What was that?
Oh, there are actual
scientific studies into the,
The conclusion.
The non-physical mechanism
which connects these children
to their previous lives
and allows them to,
Non-physical, we don't have that.
We have the physical.
Wait, so Gizmo somehow found
something that used to be hers.
Gizmo is not having previous life
memories.
She's having this life memories.
- What?
- Think about it.
There is not a single picture of her
with her parents till she's,
like, a preschooler.
And she's got one toy, a teddy bear
that she's had since she was a baby.
- And it's not a Townsend toy.
- Wait, are you saying
Gizmo is not Byron and Dyva's daughter.
Victor Townsend was not Byron's dad.
That's why he had to die.
(SOFT, CURIOUS MUSIC)
Ah. Alexa. What can I?
I've got a Zoom in 20 minutes,
and now you've just gone,
I don't think you're going
to make that Zoom, Byron.
Well, not now that
you've triggered the reset.
Well, in any case, 20 minutes is
plenty long enough for you to tell me
how and why you killed Victor.
- Sorry?
- You heard me.
Well, I must have heard you wrong,
because you're saying I
killed my father, is that right?
No, you didn't kill your father.
I said you killed Victor,
who we both
know was no relation to you whatsoever.
He was a stranger, a stranger
that you paid to be your family.
(SNORTS, SCOFFS)
Really? You're madder than I am.
Oh yeah, but I'm on the money, aren't I?
Cos you are the genius toymaker,
and Dyva is the business head,
at least that's what
all your publicity says
when it's not banging on about you
being the perfect happy family unit.
I mean, this, the perfect fantasy home
for a child,
and not a child in sight.
Nah, you'd have to fix that.
A little junior Townsend would, uh
it would really complete the fairy tale.
(CHILD'S LAUGHTER ECHOES)
So when Dyva heard
about the baby in Wellington
who had lost her parents in a house fire
and was living with her only
remaining family member,
you made the baby's grandfather
an offer he couldn't refuse.
Except he did. Victor may have been
on the bones of his arse,
but he wasn't about
to sell his grandchild.
Instead, he made a counter-offer,
a two-for-one deal,
a baby daughter and your long-lost dad.
And so you made the announcement
about this precious child
you'd kept so private,
the puff pieces, how you were
this aspirational fantasy family.
But behind the scenes,
you were putting up
with a stranger who holds all the power.
Because all Victor had
to do if you pissed him off
was tell the world the truth.
'Buying a child', please!
Victor Gene and
his granddaughter, Avery Gene.
Little favour from a friend down
at Births, Deaths and Marriages,
and bingo, name change documents.
Now, Victor and his granddaughter
disappeared without a trace
from Wellington shortly
after this fatal house fire.
Not that anyone was looking for them.
(FANFARE MUSIC PLAYS, BLADES CLANG)
Well done, Alexa, very good.
But do you know what
you've actually omitted?
That we gave Gizmo
another chance at life.
We've given her everything.
And as for Victor,
you should've seen where
he was living when we met him.
He got out. We gave him that.
And, yes, we made a deal with Victor,
but it was a win-win.
- Nobody got hurt.
- Oh, good one.
Yes, all right. Victor may have died.
And why did he die?
I mean, you two didn't get on.
There was no love lost.
But that would've been fine until Victor
decided
that he wanted out of your arrangement.
Victor did order a new
passport and one for Gizmo too
cos he wanted to leave with her.
'This wasn't what he signed up for.
His granddaughter was lonely
here in the castle, and so was he.
'So they were gonna fly away
and see the world.'
And what could you do? If you made
a fuss, he'd expose your sham life.
(SIGHS)
And if he did nothing,
you'd lose your daughter.
Yes, well, thank you, Alexa.
But like I told the police
the first time round,
I was in here when Victor died
in this room, the escape room.
No way out.
Except there is.
There's always a bypass button.
You have to have
an emergency exit by law.
Otherwise, this place
could become a death trap.
So you set up your little alibi,
and then you snuck out
only Jeri was up there taking a break,
which almost messed
everything up for you.
And then Jeri left, probably
when she saw Victor taking a pee.
And that was your chance.
Are you finished yet, Alexa? Because
I do have a short attention span.
Almost there.
Now, the other day, you realised that
I was getting close to the truth,
and maybe you didn't
mean to kill one or both of us,
maybe you only meant to scare us off.
(CRASH!)
But I don't scare easily, Byron.
Fear is a biological response designed
to keep us safe, to identify danger.
Oh, I know how to identify danger.
(HARP MUSIC PLAYS)
Oh!
Did you think that was the bypass
button for the emergency exit?
Did you get that wrong, Alexa?
Now that I have your undivided
attention for at least an hour,
let's have a chat about how you're not
going to be telling anyone
any of this.
Wrong again.
How do we get in?
You can't,
not if Byron's triggered the sequence.
I tell you what I'm not wrong
about, you're a chicken.
I beg your pardon?
Yeah. Your MO is to throw
heavy things off high places.
But face to face,
you haven't got what it takes.
Maybe we should test that theory.
Oh, wrong again! This is actually
becoming quite fun, isn't it?
(TENSE PERCUSSIVE MUSIC BUILDS)
No!
(EXHALES)
Well, that could've gone either way.
Detective, I would like to lay
an official complaint.
We can chat about that
down at the station.
Right.
Harry, don't touch a thing
unless you want to be trapped
in a small room alone with me.
Another time.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
(LAID-BACK, FUNKY MUSIC)
- Hello.
- Hello, Gizmo.
- How's Flea Bear?
- He's quite happy today.
Good. How are you?
My name's Avery now,
and I'm gonna be living with Jeri.
She's my favourite.
Well,
that is the cool thing about growing up.
You get to choose your own family.
Did you do that?
Yeah. Yes, I did.
(CHUCKLES)
You know, when I took up my dream job,
I did not realise I'd end
up adopting an 8-year-old.
Mm.
Do you want to play too?
Yeah, she's gonna start school next
term,
meet some real kids her own age.
Overrated.
(CHUCKLES)
How about you, Jeri?
Me and Giz, sorry, Avery,
we'll get settled, and then I'll
look for another marketing position.
Great.
Thank you for being annoying
and rude and all up
in everybody's faces.
It's what I do.
(UPBEAT, FUNKY MUSIC)
Come on, Avery.
Let's all get some ice cream!
Harry has a wife?! Who is she?
How did they meet? What is she like?
Do you have any actual questions for me?
Apparently, poor Margo's accident
- is no longer an accident.
- Huh?
Remember all of those dry ice
deaths we found online?
Hello? That's why I'm outside.
Alexa!
So, forgive me if
I'm a little blunt, cos,
Please, please, don't stop now.
READS: 'You already taught me
so much as my professor.
'But now, in this new role,
my body shivered.'
(EXHALES)