Father Brown (2013) s07e08 Episode Script

The Blood of the Anarchists

1 Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, Woyzeck, Ubu Roi, Faust, all tortured soulsWhy? .
.
all rebelling against social conventions.
Why?! Beaten down by the rules imposed by their masters.
Your masters! Time to rise up! Destruction equals freedom.
Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! Release him! Release the inner chaos.
Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! Isn't it marvellous? They're so unpredictable, dangerous.
I have no idea what is going on.
They're a performance troupe of anarchists.
They believe in change through destruction.
They believe in utter nonsense, as far as I'm concerned.
Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! I didn't know you were a supporter of the arts, Inspector.
We're just here to keep the peace, Father.
Wherever this troupe of ruddy misfits tour they incite violence.
Why on Earth did you let them use your farm? My wife's idea.
She's an old friend of the director's.
What? That nutcase? They'll be gone by this evening.
They're just passing through on their way to Birmingham.
Destruction equals freedom! Destruction equals freedom! Society is an illusion.
Ghosts of the mind.
All that matters is the individual! Allow me, sir.
What is it with you and dead people? Just in the wrong place.
At the right time? Well, put your back into it! It won't budge, sir.
Stand back.
Oh, Lionel.
One of your actors? Yes, and the troupe's writer.
He said he wanted somewhere quiet to work.
The window won't open, sir.
And the door was bolted from the inside.
Lionel often locked himself away when finishing a script.
He didn't like to be disturbed.
Do you recognise the gun? I'll ask the questions, Padre.
You're a witness, not Dick Tracy.
It's Lionel's.
Why would a writer have a gun? Protection.
Our plays have made us quite a few enemies.
Mainly right-wing extremists.
Spare me the politics.
Looks like suicide.
All yours, Padre.
Your attention, please.
Nobody is to leave the premises until I say so.
Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse.
I had a peep through the window.
Gruesome! Blood and brains splattered all over the glass.
Oh, Penelope.
Titan.
Finally get you alone.
Poor Lionel.
You must be very upset.
He was a true anarchist and I admired him for it, but as a man he was an obnoxious bore.
You know, I thought I'd never see you again.
You've hardly changed.
You have.
What happened to that wild child I used to know? She's still here somewhere inside.
I kept the locket you gave me.
Don't change the subject.
I'm married.
Well, that's a disgrace.
A married woman carrying on like that.
We all need a bit of passion, Mrs M.
You should give it a whirl.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the epitome of outdated values, the Catholic priest.
Read about your performances.
Very interesting.
Really? They've caused a lot of unrest in some towns.
Protests, riots.
We are merely arming the people with the truth.
A noble cause.
You don't sound convinced.
Is it the truth that's important or the chaos you leave behind? A puppet of the Vatican such as you could never understand the true nature of anarchy.
Do you want a tea?No.
Something wrong?You tell me.
You're the one who seems tense.
Well, after Lionel's suicide Please, don't take me for a fool.
I've seen the way you look at Titan.
Don't be silly.
I'm not the one behaving like some love-struck girl.
And Sally.
Wipe that make-up off your cheek.
Just because he's dead I'm not going to pretend.
Well, if I'm honest he was pretty vile.
Made my skin crawl.
I thought you were limping.
When did that happen? Yesterday.
I dropped a hammer on it.
Looks nasty.
Give it a rub for me later.
Stop it.
You know I've got a wife in Glasgow.
Yeah, how boringly conventional.
I was 18.
I didn't know any better.
But you do now, so? I have to say, I found your performance exhilarating.
Thanks.
I've really never seen anything like it.
I'm sure you haven't.
It's inspired me to write something myself - a poem, about anarchy.
I don't suppose you'd give me some tips? You should ask my father.
- Time for the second half.
- I thought it was cancelled out of respect for Lionel.
My dear boy, you're not thinking like an anarchist.
We don't conform to such social conventions.
Like marriage.
Any anyway, the Inspector has insisted that no-one leaves.
So that means the audience can't escape.
What about Lionel's part? Well, If you want to know about anarchy, you can do it.
Me? Well, I don't know what to do.
Where's your sense of adventure? Just copy the others! Sergeant .
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did anyone hear the gunshot that killed Lionel? Farmer Clegg and his wife heard something, Father.
But they assumed it was from the neighbouring estate.
Ladies and gentlemen.
The second half is about to begin Penelope .
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commencing with some excerpts from Hamlet.
Oh, Shakespeare, well, that's better.
How weary .
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stale .
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flat.
.
.
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and unprofitable, seem to me, all the uses of this world.
Oh, wretched state! Oh, bosom black as death! Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Or is it England with her corrupt leaders?! That's not Shakespeare.
Should we suffer their slings and arrows? No! We should take arms against them! Oh, not again.
Mrs McCarthy.
I have had quite enough of this nonsense! I'm afraid nobody's allowed to leave yet.
Father Brown! For the shock.
Do you think the deaths are connected? I doubt it.
The police seemed very sure Lionel killed himself.
My father would never do that.
He was angry at life but he loved it, too.
I know.
It's just not fair.
He can't be gone.
but they don't think it was an accident.
Oh, Angus.
Hold me.
Please! Two ruddy corpses right under our noses! The Chief Super isn't going to be happy, sir.
Oh, really? I thought he'd be ecstatic! You need to speak to everyone here.
I already have, sir Then do it again! Well, move your backside, Sergeant! Constable.
What are you thinking, Father? That I need to speak to Magdalena.
She's in the farmhouse.
How are you now, Mrs M? Fine.
Fine.
At least, I will be as soon as I get back home.
I doubt she'd be that upset if her husband died.
She looks frightful.
Poor Mrs Clegg.
It's not her you should be sorry for.
Thought this might help.
That's very kind.
I know people are gossiping.
No.
Yes, but who cares? You're adding a little drama to their dreary lives.
So, did you know Titan well? I met him in London years ago, when I was an art student.
Really? I thought you'd been here forever.
That's what most people think.
Were you two close back then? He represented all that was missing in my life.
Danger.
Passion.
How terribly romantic.
And then I moved back here and ended up as a farmer's wife.
I wonder who hated Titan enough to kill him.
Inspector.
Not now, Padre.
I think I know what killed Titan.
Magdalena said nuts were poison to him.
Titan's cheek was all bloated.
His flask.
There's almonds in it.
So any more nutty theories? Lionel's suicide, it was murder.
Based on what evidence? If he'd shot himself in the head there would've been moredamage.
His wounds suggest that he was shot from further away.
How is murder possible? The window of the outbuilding doesn't open, the door was bolted from inside, and the gun he was shot with was lying next to him.
Both killed on the same day.
It's too much of a coincidence.
Yeah.
Inspector, have there been any developments? Nothing conclusive.
So, in the meantime, both of you need to stay another night at the farm.
What? Are we suspects? As outsiders, I don't want you leaving Kembleford.
And if we stay here we could be murdered in our beds.
The killer could be out there, just waiting.
They have a point, sir.
Looks like members of the theatre troupe are being targeted.
Well, in that case, I'd better place a guard here tonight, hadn't I, Sergeant? Sergeant Goodfellow says we're free to go home.
And about time, too.
Excuse me.
I suppose if Titan had any enemies, you'd know about them.
Too many to name.
Some accused him of being a communist, others called him a fascist.
What do you think? He was a good man - to me, anyway.
He took me from the slums of Glasgow and taught me everything I know.
About anarchy? It's the only way to achieve real change, Father.
Do you really believe that? By destroying the bad in society new things emerge.
But what if you destroy the good parts in the process? Is that acceptable? Excuse me.
Magdalena.
Can I come in? I'm just getting ready for bed.
What do you want? I can't be alone.
Not tonight.
You'll be fine, the Sergeant is in the house.
Angus, I've just lost my father.
Please, let me sleep in your bed.
I can't do that to my wife.
Not again.
She's not here.
She'll never know.
I'm sorry.
Just look at what you're turning down.
Magdalena Just look.
Goodnight.
Sally? Are you awake? You know I am.
What is it about him? Don't do this.
I need to know.
Was he so much more of a man than me? Stop it, Daffyd.
Is that what it was? Well? Tell me.
Just tell me! All right, if that's what you want.
He was like no-one I'd ever met.
In what way? He was wild .
.
like an animal.
Is that it? There must be more.
He wanted me.
He wanted me with all his soul.
No .
.
he didn't.
What do you mean? I gave him £50 to leave you alone and he accepted.
Titan was a man of principle, he wouldn't do that.
It's the truth.
You're a liar! It was a last resort.
I tried threatening him but he just laughed at me.
What? I told him to stay away from you or I'd kill him.
SallyStay away from me! He threatened to kill Titan! What's that?He admitted it to me.
Is this true? Yes, but I didn't mean it.
Daffyd Clegg, I'm arresting you on suspicion of murder.
How could you? Miss, get back.
Miss, now.
I didn't do it, I swear.
This way, sir.
Sally, you have to believe me.
You're not obliged to say anything but anything you do say may be taken down and given in evidence.
This is ridiculous.
I'm innocent.
You can tell that to the Inspector.
Help!Come with me.
Destroy.
Rebel.
Bunty, are you all right? You look in pain.
Oh, yes.
I'm just trying to finish my poem about anarchy.
I want it to be really visceral and shocking.
Father, I have just been talking to the ladies of the WI.
Kembleford's very own gossip network.
And Farmer Clegg has been arrested for murder.
Really?! And Angus was found unconscious at the back of the farmhouse - left for dead.
Do you think he was guilty, Father? Farmer Clegg had a motive for killing Titan.
Jealousy.
I thought it was him all along.
But why harm Angus, or indeed Lionel? Bunty, may I trouble you for a lift? Father.
Whatever you are up to, please, please be careful.
Mrs McCarthy, I am always careful.
Doesn't make any sense.
Perhaps he was trying to kill himself, sir.
Jumped.
Or maybe he was pushed.
In which case, how did the attacker enter with you on the landing? Well, Sergeant? Is there another way into the bedroom? No, Father.
This is a crime scene.
What the hell are you doing back here? Just offering my help.
You can help by attaching a lead to your dog collar and taking yourself for a walk.
Was Angus depressed at all? I don't believe he was trying to kill himself.
He wouldn't do that to his wife.
You should keep something of your father's.
What's the point? It's the end of the troupe now he's dead.
What will you do? Go to Paris, join the Anarchist movement.
I hope they hang your husband for what he did.
While the Inspector is in the farmhouse, let's have a look at the outbuilding.
What are you hoping to find in here? Not sure.
No way in but the door.
Same as Angus' bedroom.
Oh.
What? A drip from the roof.
Went right down my back.
It'll just be rainwater.
Exactly, trickling through a crack or a gap.
Climb up and have a look.
Anything? There's a loose tile.
It's just big enough to fit your hand through.
Are you sure you didn't hear anything from Angus' room? No, sir.
Well, let's see if he's regained consciousness.
Inspector! Are you still here? I think I know how Lionel was killed.
He was shot through a gap in the roof.
Well, since I deal in facts, not hunches, I'll wait for the pathologist to confirm how close the gun was.
Now stop snooping! Last chance, Padre.
We're just leaving.
I need to see my father one last time.
Could you take me to the undertakers?Of course.
Jump in.
Tell me, who are your tears for? Your husband? If I'm honest, I don't know.
They shouldn't be for my father.
He had women in every town.
And he always promised them everything.
Sorry, it's just the way he was.
So did Titan even love me? Not like your husband does.
Can you hear me, lad? Magd Magdalena.
What's that? Sh She pushed me.
Goodfellow.
Burn! Burn! Come in.
Father, I've finally finished my anarchy poem.
Can I read it to you? Are you ready? Father, have you heard the latest? Mrs M, you're like the Kembleford Gazette.
The police think that Magdalena is the real killer! So that's why they're all over the village.
But why would she want to kill her own father? She can't have gone far, I gave her a lift earlier.
They've released Farmer Clegg - insufficient evidence.
I always thought he was innocent.
You said you suspected him all along.
No, I never said any such thing.
Mr Clegg, I'll be driving past your farm if you need a lift.
No, thank you.
It's no trouble.
I've actually booked into a B&B.
Oh, right.
Things must be very difficult right now.
I do think you'll work it out with Mrs Clegg, though.
I'm not so sure.
Oh, could I give you some advice? I think Mrs Clegg really loves you.
Why do you say that?I've seen the way she looks at you.
It's obvious.
But sometimes love isn't enough.
She needs excitement, spontaneity.
So .
.
you're saying I need to change? WellWhy, should I? She's the one who Well, I'd best be on my way.
Now, you take care of yourselves.
Farmer Clegg! She's going to attack! Sergeant! Sergeant, she's there! The killer.
Magdalena.
You're making a mistake! You pushed Angus.
No.
.
and you were about to attack Farmer Clegg.
I was upset, he just killed my father.
She's a ruddy animal! Almonds, sir.
In her bag.
Titan's murder! It's all fitting into place.
I didn't put them there.
Get her to the station.
Inspector, how did she get into Angus' room without being seen? Sergeant Snooze here has finally admitted that he might have dozed off at some point.
If I did, sir, it would have only been for a few seconds.
Just get to the station.
And try to stay awake this time.
Thank heavens I saw her when I did.
It was you who called the police? I have doubts about her guilt.
She's an anarchist.
Heaven only knows what goes on in her head.
I wish you'd have waited so I could have spoken to her first.
But she was going to hurt Farmer Clegg.
And anyway, they'd have caught up with her soon enough, with her bad leg.
What? What is it, Father? Mrs McCarthy, you are a genius! Angus! I went to the Cottage Hospital, but they said you'd discharged yourself.
How did you know I was here? The Glasgow train via Birmingham.
I presume that's where you're going now that your work here is done.
Work? You're not an anarchist.
In fact, you hate anarchists.
That's why you joined the troupe .
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to kill them all.
You seem very sure of that, Father.
Only the real murderer would've accused an innocent person.
Magdalena.
With her injured leg, she could hardly even stand on a box during the performance.
What of it? She would have been incapable of climbing up onto an outhouse .
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to shoot Lionel.
But you could.
any fool could see that she worshipped her father.
And she's far too clever to have left almonds in her own bag.
You think I planted them? If Magdalena really is innocent, then who pushed me from the window? No-one did.
It must have been really frustrating for you to know that there was one member of the troop you hadn't murdered yet.
But with trusty Sergeant Goodfellow guarding .
.
you had to find another way into her room.
Whoa! But your plan to kill her failed .
.
and framed her for murder.
And my motive? What terrible thing did the troupe do to you, Angus? Or was it to a loved one? Why would you think that? The way you talk about your wife in Glasgow .
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with such affection.
Did they harm her? Or even worse, did they take her from you? What happened? They They performed a play in Glasgow .
.
about low wages.
It rallied the factory workers.
Fuelled their anger and caused a riot.
She got caught up in it? On her way home she She was trampled to death.
I loved her so much, Father.
I'm so sorry .
.
but you can't blame the anarchist troop for what happened, they weren't directly responsible.
Yes, they were.
How? They were told beforehand to cancel by the police.
There was already civil unrest and they feared the play's aftermath but Titan and his sidekicks went ahead anyway.
We had something special Everyone said so.
We'd grown up together.
Angus.
There'd never been anyone else.
I know you're in pain It's more than that! I held her in my arms and I swore they would never get away with it! So .
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how did you join the troupe to get your revenge? I pretended to be just like one of them.
Some deluded anarchist.
I agreed to work for nothing.
I think you've become lost in your own hatred.
But it's not too late to seek forgiveness.
Save your breath, I've never been a believer.
Then how do you know what you did was wrong? I'm not sure of anything any more.
For months I've been living and breathing revenge and, now it's over .
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there's nothing left.
Except hope.
Not for me.
Look at what I've become.
I'm no different to those who killed my wife.
Goodbye, Father.
That's not the Glasgow train.
After all the chaos, it's time to restore some order.
Angus! You should have let me die! That way is never the answer.
Then what is? You don't have to be like the people you hate.
There is another way.
What? Do the one thing Titan would never do.
Take responsibility for the pain and mayhem you've caused.
Be accountable.
It's not too late.
Tell the police everything.
That is the only way, if you want order.
Daffyd, I Thank you, Father, for getting me off the hook.
Well, I couldn't let an innocent person go to the gallows.
Is that how you really see me - innocent? That depends.
Do you feel any guilt about what happened to Angus and his wife? Father taught me that a true anarchist is their own master.
They don't recognise duty to others.
And now? Do you still believe that? I'm not sure.
Anarchy was drummed into me since I was a child .
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like a religion.
That you've never doubted.
Exactly.
Do you ever question your faith, Father? Don't tell the Bishop.
Sometimes, yes.
You surprise me.
Well, religion, like all belief, should be open to enquiry.
It should evolve, embrace.
So, what next? Will you join the anarchists in Paris? Don't think I'm ready for that.
I think I need to take stock.
Think about what matters.
I think that's wise.
Magdalena, I hope everything works out for you.
I'm thinking of performing it at the Evesham Literary Festival, so please be brutally honest.
Have we not had enough of this anarchy nonsense? Don't worry, Mrs M, there'll be no mud flinging.
Oh, highly amusing.
'Anarchy!'Oh! 'Destroy the day.
'Destroy the night.
'Mutiny and revolt '.
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rebel and fight! 'Anarchy for you, anarchy for me, 'until there is nothing - nothing but darkness.
'Until there is nothing - nothing but nothing.
'From thus, comes light, glorious light.
' That's my type of anarchy.

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