Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches (2023) s02e07 Episode Script
A Tangled Web
1
[MATCH STRIKING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪
[GASPS]
♪
[GASPS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[RODENTS SQUEAKING]
[GASPS]
Come on.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Shit.
So, on the other side of this
wedding, what exactly happens?
The first day is Michaelmas,
on the second, the wedding,
and on the third day
at high noon, the feast.
These are words every
Scottish Mayfield knows.
Remember the night
we crashed Father's car into a ditch?
[LAUGHING]
Oh, yeah.
And Angus Murray went
flying from the back seat
and smacked his skull
right off the windshield.
[LAUGHING]
- Angus Murray. Ha.
- Hmm.
My God, Angus Murray.
Ha!
We Mayfields have been
very patient, as you know.
The magic we possess isn't nothing
But it's not what we've been promised.
And now the time has finally come.
Our abilities will be
tremendously enhanced.
Wow. Very impressive.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
We never crashed Father's car,
and there is no Angus Murray.
What's going on, brother?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Do you remember this place?
You were the priest here.
I told you, I don't remember anything.
Look at the window.
You used to stand at the altar.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪
When?
A long time ago.
I grew up hearing the story.
St. Ashlar, giver of life.
But that's not me.
I've caused so much suffering
misery.
I've killed.
I won't do it again. I won't
Look, I need to see Rowan.
She knows who I am.
She knows what's happening to me.
She's not here, um, but I'm here.
How can I trust you?
You all want something from me,
and you won't even tell me what it is.
The only thing we want from
you is for you to be happy,
- your happiness.
- That's a lie.
You see, that's a lie.
Aye, so it is.
My father wants me to make sure
you get to the wedding.
And if I can't manage that, then
he's a very violent man.
For what reason?
What what use am I to him?
Bound with Emaleth,
you and your offspring
will return the glen to its glory.
For those of us
who live by the harvest,
that means that means life.
Your blood, Lasher.
Your blood, it's it's magic.
Let me show you.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
[RUMBLING]
Look what you can do.
♪
[SOFTLY] I remember.
I remember.
I haven't been honest with you, Ian.
Father erased all my memories
of you and this place long ago.
But it's it's coming back,
a little bit at a time.
I see.
[GEAR SHIFTER CLACKS]
- Must have done it for a reason.
- Oh.
Well, sometimes he
did things just to be cruel.
Hmm.
We don't have to play by his rules.
So why don't you tell me
what does Lasher have to do
with enhancing your abilities?
Oh.
Everything.
Not just these little tricks.
Real magic.
♪
Well, I'm happy for you.
Well, I wish I could share
those with you,
but I can't trust Rowan
for obvious reasons.
I can't guarantee any of your safety.
So, once we fix your car,
it's time for you
to go back to New Orleans.
You don't have to worry about me.
I have a little gift
of my own from Lasher.
- Really?
- Yeah.
What kind of a gift?
Well, let's just say, uh, it allows me
to more than take care of myself.
♪
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLING]
Shit.
Ah.
♪
Okay.
No, no, no. Come on.
♪
Okay, Lasher.
♪
[DOOR RATTLING]
[CREAKING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
[VOICES WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
♪
[VOCALIZING]
♪
Shouldn't linger in doorways.
Why don't you send her away?
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
What's this?
It's what you came for.
Hi.
Hi.
You're cold.
Here, take this.
Here.
Here.
Lasher's blood.
It's what you said you wanted.
Now you have it.
Time to get a move on.
My husband's with your father.
Your car is fixed.
The sunrise will look beautiful
on your way out of Kilbride.
No.
No.
No.
Take yourself upstairs.
♪
What's Julien's plan?
What happens after the wedding?
Julien? My husband's father?
I never met him.
All right, Moira, then.
I know you have her.
She'll be delivered to you
once you're outside Kilbride.
Take me to her now.
Follow me.
♪
[THUDDING]
[LOCK CLICKING]
Stop right there.
- Hi.
- Oh.
- Oh, my God, are you okay?
- Jeez.
- Did they hurt you?
- No.
No, no, no, they just hurt my
will to breathe oxygen.
It's so goddamn boring in here.
No offense, Fiona.
None taken.
Here, don't worry about her.
Her brain's like a head of lettuce.
Sit down.
[SIGHS]
Do you know what's going on?
- Is Lasher okay?
- [SIGHS]
So, as of yesterday, Lasher was fine.
- "As of yesterday"?
- Yeah.
Amintha won't let me get close enough
to get any kind of read on her.
That's why she won't step foot
inside of here.
But I did read one thing off of her
before she put me in here.
They killed Albrecht.
- What?
- Yeah.
You know about this wedding, right?
Yeah.
Something's really off about it,
but they won't let me near
anybody who knows anything.
They tried to give me
a vial of Lasher's blood
to make me go away.
I don't think they want me here
for whatever's going to happen next.
Well, who cares?
We have the blood now.
I think Lasher might be in danger.
You didn't take the blood.
You just don't want Julien to beat you
at whatever game he's playing.
Julien doesn't care about this family,
and I'm responsible
for what happens to them.
Right. [SCOFFS]
So why don't you get me out of here?
All right?
And then we can go find him together.
No, they're not going
to let me near him
with you there, not with your gift.
Right.
So you just stay here,
and I'll come back for you.
I will.
- Will you?
- Yes, just stay here.
- Thank you, Fiona.
- [DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Where is he?
Deal or no deal, it's time to go.
♪
Not in there,
so where should we check next?
Can't you see I'm trying to help you?
♪
Lasher's my son.
I will do anything
I need to do to see him.
Ma'am, the bride,
she's ready to be dressed.
You know I can feel him.
So up there?
Or shall I huff and puff
and blow all the doors down?
Fine.
Put your eye on him and be off,
but if you try anything,
I promise you,
there'll be hell on Earth
and worse in Kilbride.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
So? Did you see a Van Gogh?
Actually, no.
I was up all night
reading the Molloy book.
You got your hands on the manuscript.
- Uh-huh.
- What did you think?
[EXHALES SHARPLY] Have you read it?
No, but people are talking
about how to suppress it
how to minimize the damage.
That's the wrong approach.
What we need to do is discredit it,
make people believe it's fiction.
I like how he thinks.
That kind of insight will serve
you in your new role
as the head
of the New Orleans division.
Congratulations.
[CHUCKLES]
Thank you.
I will want to conduct
a review of the branch.
Of course.
We advise that you proceed cautiously.
There are people you trusted
who may be part of what happened.
When you disturb the woodpile,
sometimes snakes come crawling out.
Understood.
And now you will help me.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
We have few written
records of the Taltos,
so know very little about them.
Thank you.
What we do have is the preserved body
of this one specimen.
We estimate he died around 1550.
If you could sort through his memories
and tell me what they say
about the nature of the Taltos,
perhaps it would help us
understand Albrecht's plan.
If Lasher's any example,
they're a source of very dark magic.
Hmm. Perhaps they're
not all like your Lasher.
This is Lasher.
I can feel it.
♪
A few of our colleagues have theorized
that the Taltos can be reborn.
This must be his body
from a previous life.
You say he died in the 1500s.
That's before he was a spirit,
before Suzanne called him down.
Go ahead, please.
Just
give me a moment.
You're asking me to bear witness
to a life of great brutality.
♪
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Lasher, it's me.
Rowan?
Let me in.
You have to open it from your side.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
Oh, my God. [SIGHS]
Are you okay?
Yes.
I asked for you,
and they brought you to me.
No.
They were keeping me from you.
We have to leave now.
These people are going to do
something very bad.
Why would they?
They showed me the truth.
It all came back.
What? What came back?
Everything. Me. I-I remember.
You remember what?
The waterfall, the the glen
[SIGHS] And my blood
I-I made a tree grow.
- We're leaving.
- No.
- Come on.
- No. This is where I belong.
I know who I am.
I know who I've always been.
But this isn't right.
They have you locked in here.
- You have to listen to me.
- Please.
Over and over again, you
asked me what my purpose was.
- Lasher, please.
- No, listen to me.
I was born hundreds of years ago.
My mother was a beloved queen.
- [SCREAMING]
- [PERSON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
But she had not yet
borne the king a son.
[CONTINUES SCREAMING]
[BABY CRYING] Until me.
♪
Is it growing?
The king cannot see this child.
Get rid of it, m'lady?
Tell the king he was stillborn.
You heard Her Majesty. Get rid of it.
Get word to the laird.
He'll know what to do.
♪
Though scared for her life,
the queen's lady took me to my father.
Does anybody else know you're here?
No, m'lord.
They think the baby is
some kind of demon.
I heard them saying
it was God's punishment for
For me laying with the queen.
- Sir
- No matter.
They've got it all wrong anyway.
He's no demon.
He's an angel
born of a Scottish lord
and a witch queen.
He's a Taltos,
the first to come in a century.
♪
My father named me Ashlar.
Our journey to Scotland
took a fortnight.
On the way, he taught me everything
about our land and my people.
You see this, Ashlar?
It's our duty to care
for this beautiful place.
♪
What is this place, Father?
He couldn't even name it.
It was so broken, he couldn't
say that one small word
home.
I saw true ugliness.
The village had been razed.
The king's men had scorched
and salted the earth
revenge for my birth.
[DISTANT ANIMAL HOWLS, HORSE NEIGHS]
My father taught me
to call on the wolves.
They would defend me
when I needed them.
- Hello.
- [SNARLS]
And they showed me who I was.
♪
Soon, I felt part of this place
and that this place was part of me.
♪
I became a priest, a man of God.
Blessed by my blood,
the children of the village thrived.
And then I saw her.
And I knew I was meant
to have a family of my own.
♪
I didn't know why I wanted
to come back to this world,
only that I wanted it so bad
that I was willing to commit
immoral acts.
How can I justify what I've done
unless I fulfill my better purpose?
Having children?
Yes.
And through them, bringing nature back
to the world that's been
destroyed by humans.
I know that you believe that
and that some of that may be true.
No, it is true.
They've been keeping me from you.
They took my cousin from us.
I mean, they killed Albrecht.
If that's a lie, then you're shameful.
And if it's true
then they must have had
good reason to do so.
You have to understand
that you're a very,
very powerful creature.
- Creature
- And they want to use
that power for their
own bad intentions.
These people are bad.
And what about your intentions?
Aren't you using me?
Manipulating?
Conniving?
That's what you do.
- How dare you?
- What?
All I want is to make sure
that nothing bad happens
to you or to anyone else.
That's all that I want.
Is that why you came
all the way here
- to see if I was all right?
- Yes.
Or was it for this?
♪
Rowan
I think if you look
deep inside yourself,
you'd realize
that you want me with you
because of what I do for you.
[SCOFFS]
No, that's not true.
Prove to me that you care.
Stay for my wedding.
Give your son away.
Please.
Lord Ashlar.
Are you ready to get dressed?
Yes.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
[SHUDDERS, BREATHING HEAVILY]
Taltos blood is the land's blood.
Their lungs take in the air
that lets the forest breathe.
They have the power to heal.
A living Taltos is a force for good.
Lasher is a force for good.
I need to see where
this body was recovered.
That's where Albrecht was going,
and that's where we'll find answers.
It was a peat bog in Scotland,
a town named Kilbride.
Haggis and plaid
what could be better?
- Your boy.
- [OBJECT SHATTERS]
Mm. Yeah, but he's my son!
Every time!
He's my boy!
In our cups rather early, brother.
Hmm.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
Huh.
- Hello?
- Hey, it's me.
Rowan, are you all right?
I'm fine.
Just something really wrong
is happening.
Yeah, no question.
Ian's gone from being
marginally aggressive
to downright hostile.
Now, he's insisting we
we leave right away.
Well, we're staying for the wedding.
Whoa.
You hoping to catch the bouquet?
That's not funny.
Look, Lasher's adamant,
and if I could think of a way
to force him to leave with me,
then I would.
You've seen Lasher?
- Is he all right?
- He's fine.
He's he's brainwashed and
wildly in love, but he's in one piece,
and that's how I intend
on getting him out of here,
with or without his bride.
[OBJECT CLANKS, IAN SHOUTS]
What the hell was that?
- What was that?
- Oh.
Uh, Ian seems to be
quite distressed.
Make yourself useful.
Figure out what's going on with him
and what's going to happen
with Lasher after the wedding.
Listen, Rowan,
I'm truly delighted
that you're with Lark,
and he seems like a fine gentleman,
and I can see how happy he makes you.
- Great. Thanks.
- Yeah, but [SIGHS]
I fear that we may be in
over our heads,
and life is long.
And, I mean, I should know, right?
But only if you don't step
in the ditch.
Look, I know I've been
hard on you in the past,
but that's because you say
you're going to change
and you never do.
But I think you want to,
so why don't you prove it to me?
Keep me out of the ditch.
Okay. Okay.
I'll do my best with Ian.
I'll see you at the ceremony.
Right.
I'll be damned to hell
if he gets between me and my boy!
Ian! Is this about Father?
- Who else?
- Wait, wait.
Just go home, will you?
It doesn't concern you!
If this involves our father,
it does concern me.
I can't let him break up my family.
Tell me what's going on.
I am family, too.
Our father
he's coming back to this world.
He's coming back?
He needs a vessel.
He's chosen my firstborn.
Hamish.
Great power comes at great cost.
My boy will be locked away
in that purgatory,
and every time I look
at his face in this world,
I'll be looking into the eyes
of our wretched father.
He's diabolical.
He's the only man
I've ever been afraid of
but I have to stop him.
Fool's errand though it may be.
No, no, no,
you can't go in there alone.
I won't let you.
No, you're right.
I-it would be a fool's errand
if you went in there by yourself.
But if if I'm in there with you
I mean, we just might have
a fighting chance.
Huh?
I never knew your intentions
when you arrived.
To be honest, I doubted you.
[TENSE MUSIC]
But I see how wrong I was.
♪
Be at my side through the harvest
and take part in all the gifts
our family will receive.
[SCOFFS]
Yeah, but but but only if
my whole family can partake
Rowan in particular.
I'll do everything I can
to make that happen, brother.
[SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
Now, we're going to need
someone on the outside
- to pull us out.
- Right, we need a rope.
Boy!
You have to watch
the hourglass at all times.
You can't take your eyes off it.
And you feel inside yourself
for any sign of distress from us.
Yeah, i-if anything seems off
at all
I mean anything
bring us out one at a time.
You know how to do that?
I know the words, yes.
[SIGHS] You have to really,
really concentrate.
You got to imagine that
you're you're pulling us
- over a wall.
- Yes.
Because if you don't,
we'll be trapped forever.
Right, then.
♪
Two peas in my pod.
To what do I owe this displeasure?
Perhaps you were expecting
some poor, defenseless boys.
This one tells me that my sweet Rowan
is in town for the nuptials.
She is not your sweet Rowan.
Will be soon enough.
How dare you even think about ruining
another young Mayfair life,
after all the damage
you've done to us?
I was an innocent boy.
You turned me into a monster.
I will not let you harm another of us.
He's talking about Hamish, Father.
[CHUCKLING]
Always been a hothead, this one.
Aye.
♪
What's going on?
♪
I was so intrigued
by this gift you said you possessed,
I just had to come
and ask Father about it.
Youth is wasted on the young
♪
And immortality on the moronic.
- [LAUGHTER]
- Oh.
Seems fit enough.
♪
Hey.
- Father?
- Can you still get it up, boy?
- What?
- [LAUGHING]
Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll be fine.
They have pills for that now, right?
[LAUGHING]
Ian?
Hamish, throw me that rope.
Always good seeing you, brother.
♪
Tricky thing about lifelines is
the one holding it gets
to choose who to pull out.
Throw me the rope, boy.
Wha No, no, no, no, no, no!
Hamish!
Hamish, get me out of here!
Hamish, get me out of here!
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[GASPS]
Beautiful day for a wedding.
I hear you're staying.
We found some clothes
that should fit you well.
Staying? No, I don't
Have you seen Rowan?
Your lady friend?
She's up at the castle
with Ashlar getting ready.
Now hurry and get dressed,
or you'll miss it.
- I
- [EXHALES SHARPLY]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I think if you look
deep inside yourself,
you'll realize that
you want me with you
because of what I do for you.
♪
Humbled before our Lord. [CHUCKLES]
This is unexpected.
All soldiers pray before battle.
I hear he wants you by his side.
My husband's loath to deny him
anything at the moment,
but I won't have you
diminishing the occasion.
I wouldn't dare.
♪
[GRUNTS]
[GROANS]
You really should be able
to do this yourself.
All that shit you made me shovel
turned my fingers into sausages.
I must admit
it was a tough choice.
I mean, Hamish is younger, stronger.
Mm, but this body of Cortland's
[LAUGHS]
Ah, this will live forever.
Not much of a choice when
you put it that way, Father.
Yeah, but I do have to speak
like a damn yat from now on.
Hmm.
So what about Rowan?
What about her?
These Americans are so literal.
Can't take a hint when you
want them to get the fuck out.
So maybe we get rid of her
in a more permanent fashion.
Now, steady your hand, son
at least until
the harvest is finished.
If Lasher gets upset,
it could endanger the whole thing.
[SIGHS]
And after?
Rowan might be good
at spinning a web
but we know who
the true weavers are, hmm?
♪
I'm here
- just as you asked.
- [SIGHS]
Thank you.
It's time, m'lord.
You don't have to do this.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[SIGHS]
[DRAMATIC DRUMMING]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
Where's Lark?
He was slow getting up.
He said they'd bring him
in another car.
You shouldn't have left him.
Hmm. You're right. I'm sorry.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
I'm sure he'll be fine.
Yeah.
So you talked to Ian?
What's Julien's plan?
Well, they they
just want this wedding
to go off without a hitch.
There's nothing else to the plan.
No, if he told you that,
then he's lying.
Oh, look. See?
There he is. [CHUCKLES]
♪
Not yet, please.
The groom is coming.
♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
There's nothing to worry about.
♪
[DRUMMING INTENSIFIES]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DRUMMING STOPS]
This is where the body was recovered.
I can feel it.
The soil has a memory.
He died somewhere else
and was brought here.
How did he die?
This place doesn't know,
but his body's last memory
was in the woods,
looking up at the sky, and then
everything went dark.
Maybe somebody erased
the rest of his memories.
[SIGHS]
I can tell the difference
between a mind
that once held much more
and one that only ever knew so much.
You think he might have had
a very short life?
I know it.
Good morning to you.
You're trespassing.
[SPEAKING DUTCH]
Uh, landscape, yes?
Look at.
Out-of-towners transfixed
by the unrivaled beauty
- of our natural wonders, eh?
- [LAUGHS]
Vertrekken.
For leaving now. Auto car.
Stay a bit.
I've got a few questions for you.
Vertrekken. Bye-bye, yes?
No bye-bye.
Stay-stay.
Should sea boil to heaven,
should sky fall to Earth,
still shall this holy union
remain bound
and forever pour upon
our parched and wanting world
the lasting life
that is born
from your eternal embrace.
[GUESTS GASPING]
[ROPES CREAKING]
[SIGHS]
Kneel, Emaleth.
Kneel, Ashlar.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
By the power of the mountain
the forest,
and the ever-churning sea
No, no, no, no, no.
It's it's not what you think.
I now pronounce you husband and wife,
Taltos and Taltos.
[DRUMMING]
- [AUDIENCE CHEERING]
- Ah, ah, ah.
[GASPS]
[SCREAMING]
♪
Your lover boy's stitched in, dearie.
You can't hurt any of us
without hurting him.
So do me the courtesy
of sitting back down.
♪
[CHEERING]
♪
[PERSON GROANING, SCREAMS]
sync & corrections awaqeded
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪
[MATCH STRIKING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪
[GASPS]
♪
[GASPS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[RODENTS SQUEAKING]
[GASPS]
Come on.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Shit.
So, on the other side of this
wedding, what exactly happens?
The first day is Michaelmas,
on the second, the wedding,
and on the third day
at high noon, the feast.
These are words every
Scottish Mayfield knows.
Remember the night
we crashed Father's car into a ditch?
[LAUGHING]
Oh, yeah.
And Angus Murray went
flying from the back seat
and smacked his skull
right off the windshield.
[LAUGHING]
- Angus Murray. Ha.
- Hmm.
My God, Angus Murray.
Ha!
We Mayfields have been
very patient, as you know.
The magic we possess isn't nothing
But it's not what we've been promised.
And now the time has finally come.
Our abilities will be
tremendously enhanced.
Wow. Very impressive.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
We never crashed Father's car,
and there is no Angus Murray.
What's going on, brother?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Do you remember this place?
You were the priest here.
I told you, I don't remember anything.
Look at the window.
You used to stand at the altar.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪
When?
A long time ago.
I grew up hearing the story.
St. Ashlar, giver of life.
But that's not me.
I've caused so much suffering
misery.
I've killed.
I won't do it again. I won't
Look, I need to see Rowan.
She knows who I am.
She knows what's happening to me.
She's not here, um, but I'm here.
How can I trust you?
You all want something from me,
and you won't even tell me what it is.
The only thing we want from
you is for you to be happy,
- your happiness.
- That's a lie.
You see, that's a lie.
Aye, so it is.
My father wants me to make sure
you get to the wedding.
And if I can't manage that, then
he's a very violent man.
For what reason?
What what use am I to him?
Bound with Emaleth,
you and your offspring
will return the glen to its glory.
For those of us
who live by the harvest,
that means that means life.
Your blood, Lasher.
Your blood, it's it's magic.
Let me show you.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
[RUMBLING]
Look what you can do.
♪
[SOFTLY] I remember.
I remember.
I haven't been honest with you, Ian.
Father erased all my memories
of you and this place long ago.
But it's it's coming back,
a little bit at a time.
I see.
[GEAR SHIFTER CLACKS]
- Must have done it for a reason.
- Oh.
Well, sometimes he
did things just to be cruel.
Hmm.
We don't have to play by his rules.
So why don't you tell me
what does Lasher have to do
with enhancing your abilities?
Oh.
Everything.
Not just these little tricks.
Real magic.
♪
Well, I'm happy for you.
Well, I wish I could share
those with you,
but I can't trust Rowan
for obvious reasons.
I can't guarantee any of your safety.
So, once we fix your car,
it's time for you
to go back to New Orleans.
You don't have to worry about me.
I have a little gift
of my own from Lasher.
- Really?
- Yeah.
What kind of a gift?
Well, let's just say, uh, it allows me
to more than take care of myself.
♪
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLING]
Shit.
Ah.
♪
Okay.
No, no, no. Come on.
♪
Okay, Lasher.
♪
[DOOR RATTLING]
[CREAKING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
[VOICES WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
♪
[VOCALIZING]
♪
Shouldn't linger in doorways.
Why don't you send her away?
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
What's this?
It's what you came for.
Hi.
Hi.
You're cold.
Here, take this.
Here.
Here.
Lasher's blood.
It's what you said you wanted.
Now you have it.
Time to get a move on.
My husband's with your father.
Your car is fixed.
The sunrise will look beautiful
on your way out of Kilbride.
No.
No.
No.
Take yourself upstairs.
♪
What's Julien's plan?
What happens after the wedding?
Julien? My husband's father?
I never met him.
All right, Moira, then.
I know you have her.
She'll be delivered to you
once you're outside Kilbride.
Take me to her now.
Follow me.
♪
[THUDDING]
[LOCK CLICKING]
Stop right there.
- Hi.
- Oh.
- Oh, my God, are you okay?
- Jeez.
- Did they hurt you?
- No.
No, no, no, they just hurt my
will to breathe oxygen.
It's so goddamn boring in here.
No offense, Fiona.
None taken.
Here, don't worry about her.
Her brain's like a head of lettuce.
Sit down.
[SIGHS]
Do you know what's going on?
- Is Lasher okay?
- [SIGHS]
So, as of yesterday, Lasher was fine.
- "As of yesterday"?
- Yeah.
Amintha won't let me get close enough
to get any kind of read on her.
That's why she won't step foot
inside of here.
But I did read one thing off of her
before she put me in here.
They killed Albrecht.
- What?
- Yeah.
You know about this wedding, right?
Yeah.
Something's really off about it,
but they won't let me near
anybody who knows anything.
They tried to give me
a vial of Lasher's blood
to make me go away.
I don't think they want me here
for whatever's going to happen next.
Well, who cares?
We have the blood now.
I think Lasher might be in danger.
You didn't take the blood.
You just don't want Julien to beat you
at whatever game he's playing.
Julien doesn't care about this family,
and I'm responsible
for what happens to them.
Right. [SCOFFS]
So why don't you get me out of here?
All right?
And then we can go find him together.
No, they're not going
to let me near him
with you there, not with your gift.
Right.
So you just stay here,
and I'll come back for you.
I will.
- Will you?
- Yes, just stay here.
- Thank you, Fiona.
- [DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Where is he?
Deal or no deal, it's time to go.
♪
Not in there,
so where should we check next?
Can't you see I'm trying to help you?
♪
Lasher's my son.
I will do anything
I need to do to see him.
Ma'am, the bride,
she's ready to be dressed.
You know I can feel him.
So up there?
Or shall I huff and puff
and blow all the doors down?
Fine.
Put your eye on him and be off,
but if you try anything,
I promise you,
there'll be hell on Earth
and worse in Kilbride.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
So? Did you see a Van Gogh?
Actually, no.
I was up all night
reading the Molloy book.
You got your hands on the manuscript.
- Uh-huh.
- What did you think?
[EXHALES SHARPLY] Have you read it?
No, but people are talking
about how to suppress it
how to minimize the damage.
That's the wrong approach.
What we need to do is discredit it,
make people believe it's fiction.
I like how he thinks.
That kind of insight will serve
you in your new role
as the head
of the New Orleans division.
Congratulations.
[CHUCKLES]
Thank you.
I will want to conduct
a review of the branch.
Of course.
We advise that you proceed cautiously.
There are people you trusted
who may be part of what happened.
When you disturb the woodpile,
sometimes snakes come crawling out.
Understood.
And now you will help me.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
We have few written
records of the Taltos,
so know very little about them.
Thank you.
What we do have is the preserved body
of this one specimen.
We estimate he died around 1550.
If you could sort through his memories
and tell me what they say
about the nature of the Taltos,
perhaps it would help us
understand Albrecht's plan.
If Lasher's any example,
they're a source of very dark magic.
Hmm. Perhaps they're
not all like your Lasher.
This is Lasher.
I can feel it.
♪
A few of our colleagues have theorized
that the Taltos can be reborn.
This must be his body
from a previous life.
You say he died in the 1500s.
That's before he was a spirit,
before Suzanne called him down.
Go ahead, please.
Just
give me a moment.
You're asking me to bear witness
to a life of great brutality.
♪
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Lasher, it's me.
Rowan?
Let me in.
You have to open it from your side.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
Oh, my God. [SIGHS]
Are you okay?
Yes.
I asked for you,
and they brought you to me.
No.
They were keeping me from you.
We have to leave now.
These people are going to do
something very bad.
Why would they?
They showed me the truth.
It all came back.
What? What came back?
Everything. Me. I-I remember.
You remember what?
The waterfall, the the glen
[SIGHS] And my blood
I-I made a tree grow.
- We're leaving.
- No.
- Come on.
- No. This is where I belong.
I know who I am.
I know who I've always been.
But this isn't right.
They have you locked in here.
- You have to listen to me.
- Please.
Over and over again, you
asked me what my purpose was.
- Lasher, please.
- No, listen to me.
I was born hundreds of years ago.
My mother was a beloved queen.
- [SCREAMING]
- [PERSON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
But she had not yet
borne the king a son.
[CONTINUES SCREAMING]
[BABY CRYING] Until me.
♪
Is it growing?
The king cannot see this child.
Get rid of it, m'lady?
Tell the king he was stillborn.
You heard Her Majesty. Get rid of it.
Get word to the laird.
He'll know what to do.
♪
Though scared for her life,
the queen's lady took me to my father.
Does anybody else know you're here?
No, m'lord.
They think the baby is
some kind of demon.
I heard them saying
it was God's punishment for
For me laying with the queen.
- Sir
- No matter.
They've got it all wrong anyway.
He's no demon.
He's an angel
born of a Scottish lord
and a witch queen.
He's a Taltos,
the first to come in a century.
♪
My father named me Ashlar.
Our journey to Scotland
took a fortnight.
On the way, he taught me everything
about our land and my people.
You see this, Ashlar?
It's our duty to care
for this beautiful place.
♪
What is this place, Father?
He couldn't even name it.
It was so broken, he couldn't
say that one small word
home.
I saw true ugliness.
The village had been razed.
The king's men had scorched
and salted the earth
revenge for my birth.
[DISTANT ANIMAL HOWLS, HORSE NEIGHS]
My father taught me
to call on the wolves.
They would defend me
when I needed them.
- Hello.
- [SNARLS]
And they showed me who I was.
♪
Soon, I felt part of this place
and that this place was part of me.
♪
I became a priest, a man of God.
Blessed by my blood,
the children of the village thrived.
And then I saw her.
And I knew I was meant
to have a family of my own.
♪
I didn't know why I wanted
to come back to this world,
only that I wanted it so bad
that I was willing to commit
immoral acts.
How can I justify what I've done
unless I fulfill my better purpose?
Having children?
Yes.
And through them, bringing nature back
to the world that's been
destroyed by humans.
I know that you believe that
and that some of that may be true.
No, it is true.
They've been keeping me from you.
They took my cousin from us.
I mean, they killed Albrecht.
If that's a lie, then you're shameful.
And if it's true
then they must have had
good reason to do so.
You have to understand
that you're a very,
very powerful creature.
- Creature
- And they want to use
that power for their
own bad intentions.
These people are bad.
And what about your intentions?
Aren't you using me?
Manipulating?
Conniving?
That's what you do.
- How dare you?
- What?
All I want is to make sure
that nothing bad happens
to you or to anyone else.
That's all that I want.
Is that why you came
all the way here
- to see if I was all right?
- Yes.
Or was it for this?
♪
Rowan
I think if you look
deep inside yourself,
you'd realize
that you want me with you
because of what I do for you.
[SCOFFS]
No, that's not true.
Prove to me that you care.
Stay for my wedding.
Give your son away.
Please.
Lord Ashlar.
Are you ready to get dressed?
Yes.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
[SHUDDERS, BREATHING HEAVILY]
Taltos blood is the land's blood.
Their lungs take in the air
that lets the forest breathe.
They have the power to heal.
A living Taltos is a force for good.
Lasher is a force for good.
I need to see where
this body was recovered.
That's where Albrecht was going,
and that's where we'll find answers.
It was a peat bog in Scotland,
a town named Kilbride.
Haggis and plaid
what could be better?
- Your boy.
- [OBJECT SHATTERS]
Mm. Yeah, but he's my son!
Every time!
He's my boy!
In our cups rather early, brother.
Hmm.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
Huh.
- Hello?
- Hey, it's me.
Rowan, are you all right?
I'm fine.
Just something really wrong
is happening.
Yeah, no question.
Ian's gone from being
marginally aggressive
to downright hostile.
Now, he's insisting we
we leave right away.
Well, we're staying for the wedding.
Whoa.
You hoping to catch the bouquet?
That's not funny.
Look, Lasher's adamant,
and if I could think of a way
to force him to leave with me,
then I would.
You've seen Lasher?
- Is he all right?
- He's fine.
He's he's brainwashed and
wildly in love, but he's in one piece,
and that's how I intend
on getting him out of here,
with or without his bride.
[OBJECT CLANKS, IAN SHOUTS]
What the hell was that?
- What was that?
- Oh.
Uh, Ian seems to be
quite distressed.
Make yourself useful.
Figure out what's going on with him
and what's going to happen
with Lasher after the wedding.
Listen, Rowan,
I'm truly delighted
that you're with Lark,
and he seems like a fine gentleman,
and I can see how happy he makes you.
- Great. Thanks.
- Yeah, but [SIGHS]
I fear that we may be in
over our heads,
and life is long.
And, I mean, I should know, right?
But only if you don't step
in the ditch.
Look, I know I've been
hard on you in the past,
but that's because you say
you're going to change
and you never do.
But I think you want to,
so why don't you prove it to me?
Keep me out of the ditch.
Okay. Okay.
I'll do my best with Ian.
I'll see you at the ceremony.
Right.
I'll be damned to hell
if he gets between me and my boy!
Ian! Is this about Father?
- Who else?
- Wait, wait.
Just go home, will you?
It doesn't concern you!
If this involves our father,
it does concern me.
I can't let him break up my family.
Tell me what's going on.
I am family, too.
Our father
he's coming back to this world.
He's coming back?
He needs a vessel.
He's chosen my firstborn.
Hamish.
Great power comes at great cost.
My boy will be locked away
in that purgatory,
and every time I look
at his face in this world,
I'll be looking into the eyes
of our wretched father.
He's diabolical.
He's the only man
I've ever been afraid of
but I have to stop him.
Fool's errand though it may be.
No, no, no,
you can't go in there alone.
I won't let you.
No, you're right.
I-it would be a fool's errand
if you went in there by yourself.
But if if I'm in there with you
I mean, we just might have
a fighting chance.
Huh?
I never knew your intentions
when you arrived.
To be honest, I doubted you.
[TENSE MUSIC]
But I see how wrong I was.
♪
Be at my side through the harvest
and take part in all the gifts
our family will receive.
[SCOFFS]
Yeah, but but but only if
my whole family can partake
Rowan in particular.
I'll do everything I can
to make that happen, brother.
[SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
Now, we're going to need
someone on the outside
- to pull us out.
- Right, we need a rope.
Boy!
You have to watch
the hourglass at all times.
You can't take your eyes off it.
And you feel inside yourself
for any sign of distress from us.
Yeah, i-if anything seems off
at all
I mean anything
bring us out one at a time.
You know how to do that?
I know the words, yes.
[SIGHS] You have to really,
really concentrate.
You got to imagine that
you're you're pulling us
- over a wall.
- Yes.
Because if you don't,
we'll be trapped forever.
Right, then.
♪
Two peas in my pod.
To what do I owe this displeasure?
Perhaps you were expecting
some poor, defenseless boys.
This one tells me that my sweet Rowan
is in town for the nuptials.
She is not your sweet Rowan.
Will be soon enough.
How dare you even think about ruining
another young Mayfair life,
after all the damage
you've done to us?
I was an innocent boy.
You turned me into a monster.
I will not let you harm another of us.
He's talking about Hamish, Father.
[CHUCKLING]
Always been a hothead, this one.
Aye.
♪
What's going on?
♪
I was so intrigued
by this gift you said you possessed,
I just had to come
and ask Father about it.
Youth is wasted on the young
♪
And immortality on the moronic.
- [LAUGHTER]
- Oh.
Seems fit enough.
♪
Hey.
- Father?
- Can you still get it up, boy?
- What?
- [LAUGHING]
Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll be fine.
They have pills for that now, right?
[LAUGHING]
Ian?
Hamish, throw me that rope.
Always good seeing you, brother.
♪
Tricky thing about lifelines is
the one holding it gets
to choose who to pull out.
Throw me the rope, boy.
Wha No, no, no, no, no, no!
Hamish!
Hamish, get me out of here!
Hamish, get me out of here!
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[GASPS]
Beautiful day for a wedding.
I hear you're staying.
We found some clothes
that should fit you well.
Staying? No, I don't
Have you seen Rowan?
Your lady friend?
She's up at the castle
with Ashlar getting ready.
Now hurry and get dressed,
or you'll miss it.
- I
- [EXHALES SHARPLY]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I think if you look
deep inside yourself,
you'll realize that
you want me with you
because of what I do for you.
♪
Humbled before our Lord. [CHUCKLES]
This is unexpected.
All soldiers pray before battle.
I hear he wants you by his side.
My husband's loath to deny him
anything at the moment,
but I won't have you
diminishing the occasion.
I wouldn't dare.
♪
[GRUNTS]
[GROANS]
You really should be able
to do this yourself.
All that shit you made me shovel
turned my fingers into sausages.
I must admit
it was a tough choice.
I mean, Hamish is younger, stronger.
Mm, but this body of Cortland's
[LAUGHS]
Ah, this will live forever.
Not much of a choice when
you put it that way, Father.
Yeah, but I do have to speak
like a damn yat from now on.
Hmm.
So what about Rowan?
What about her?
These Americans are so literal.
Can't take a hint when you
want them to get the fuck out.
So maybe we get rid of her
in a more permanent fashion.
Now, steady your hand, son
at least until
the harvest is finished.
If Lasher gets upset,
it could endanger the whole thing.
[SIGHS]
And after?
Rowan might be good
at spinning a web
but we know who
the true weavers are, hmm?
♪
I'm here
- just as you asked.
- [SIGHS]
Thank you.
It's time, m'lord.
You don't have to do this.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[SIGHS]
[DRAMATIC DRUMMING]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
Where's Lark?
He was slow getting up.
He said they'd bring him
in another car.
You shouldn't have left him.
Hmm. You're right. I'm sorry.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
I'm sure he'll be fine.
Yeah.
So you talked to Ian?
What's Julien's plan?
Well, they they
just want this wedding
to go off without a hitch.
There's nothing else to the plan.
No, if he told you that,
then he's lying.
Oh, look. See?
There he is. [CHUCKLES]
♪
Not yet, please.
The groom is coming.
♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
There's nothing to worry about.
♪
[DRUMMING INTENSIFIES]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DRUMMING STOPS]
This is where the body was recovered.
I can feel it.
The soil has a memory.
He died somewhere else
and was brought here.
How did he die?
This place doesn't know,
but his body's last memory
was in the woods,
looking up at the sky, and then
everything went dark.
Maybe somebody erased
the rest of his memories.
[SIGHS]
I can tell the difference
between a mind
that once held much more
and one that only ever knew so much.
You think he might have had
a very short life?
I know it.
Good morning to you.
You're trespassing.
[SPEAKING DUTCH]
Uh, landscape, yes?
Look at.
Out-of-towners transfixed
by the unrivaled beauty
- of our natural wonders, eh?
- [LAUGHS]
Vertrekken.
For leaving now. Auto car.
Stay a bit.
I've got a few questions for you.
Vertrekken. Bye-bye, yes?
No bye-bye.
Stay-stay.
Should sea boil to heaven,
should sky fall to Earth,
still shall this holy union
remain bound
and forever pour upon
our parched and wanting world
the lasting life
that is born
from your eternal embrace.
[GUESTS GASPING]
[ROPES CREAKING]
[SIGHS]
Kneel, Emaleth.
Kneel, Ashlar.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
By the power of the mountain
the forest,
and the ever-churning sea
No, no, no, no, no.
It's it's not what you think.
I now pronounce you husband and wife,
Taltos and Taltos.
[DRUMMING]
- [AUDIENCE CHEERING]
- Ah, ah, ah.
[GASPS]
[SCREAMING]
♪
Your lover boy's stitched in, dearie.
You can't hurt any of us
without hurting him.
So do me the courtesy
of sitting back down.
♪
[CHEERING]
♪
[PERSON GROANING, SCREAMS]
sync & corrections awaqeded
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
♪