Monarch Of The Glen (2000) s02e03 Episode Script
Series 2, Episode 3
Too London.
Toot, toot! Have you told him yet? I would hate to.
Everything's under control, dear.
That's exactly what's worrying me.
Toot! Too Hector.
What? ( Hector imitating chugging ) Molly: You haven't, have you? - What? - Have you? ( imitating P.
A.
) Train now approaching Dunkirk Station, easily one full- - have you? - Molly, please! That train was just going into the station! Well.
There now.
Aren't we the dog's whats-its? Think it'll do? Archie, son in that suit, with that look, you could sell Sunday trading to a kirk full of wee free ministers.
- Your papers.
- Thank you.
- Plans.
- Mother, please! Hold still.
Your father has something to say to you.
Haven't you, Hector? Oh, yes.
Archie, Archie give them hell.
Knock 'em dead! Thanks.
Thanks, everyone.
Well? I told him I'd tell him tomorrow.
( theme music playing ) ( squawks ) She was shot by a gamekeeper awhile ago.
We have to look after her 'cause she can't survive on her own.
- Girl: Are you going to keep her? - only until she's better.
'Cause wild things belong in the wild.
What does she eat, worms? No.
Bigger than worms.
She eats mice- - ( squawks ) - Excuse me, who's giving this lesson, you or me? She eats mice and shrews and little animals like that.
Class: Eww! Student: That's cruel! Well, that's life, I'm afraid.
The strong devour the weak, the old get consumed by the new.
It's called Natural Selection.
Tea.
You've no need to chuck the baby out with the bath water.
Fergal only needs a small patch.
I have to make a proper space for boy wonder.
Archie's orders.
Well, why don't you let me look after it? No, Lexie, just leave it.
I have to clear this space out anyway.
No point in hanging onto things we haven't got a use for, is there? Sorry I'm late, Archie.
I got held up at school.
You do too much for those kids.
It wasn't me.
It was Fergal.
Oh.
He was showing them his owl.
They wouldn't let him leave.
He really is quite something.
I know.
He's a great find.
Katrina: Have you met our chair Edith Rankin? No, I've never had the pleasure.
Well, you're in for a treat then.
The committee goes through all the new grant applications one by one.
You come in and make your pitch, then you leave and we decide, okay? Fine.
Archie, the project is sound.
You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
All right.
( vehicle approaching ) ( vehicle stops ) Fergal: Right, let's get this bird out.
Let's have a look at her, see if she survived the journey.
We'll get her aviary finished and get her a decent flyer.
- Can I hold her? - Of course you can, yeah.
Put on the gauntlet.
Fergal: All yours.
See this, Lexie? Best looking bird on the estate.
Just watch she doesn't mistake you for lunch.
I hear she's partial to a richer palate.
Golly: Duncan, Duncan, you give us a hand, get that place cleaned up.
I'm finishing the aviary with Fergal.
No, that's all right, Duncan, give Golly a hand.
Not gonna take long, is it? Couple of hours I should think.
- Great.
No problem.
- good.
- It's okay, here.
- ( owl squawks ) Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Glenbogle Adventure Centre.
A nature walk through a caledonian pine forest, a cycle ride around the loch, boating, a visit to our wildlife rescue unit, finishing up with a cup of tea at the visitor's center cafe.
- All these things- - Edith: How much? - I'm sorry? - How much do you want? Um, £8,000.
Thank you, Mr.
MacDonald.
That's all for now.
Oh.
Thank you.
Um on a personal note, I have spent the last six months working on this plan for Glenbogle.
It's my- my vision for the future.
This grant will help us create a resource that we can all be proud of for years to come.
It's- it's in your hands.
Thank you, Mr.
MacDonald.
If you'll just wait outside.
Right.
( door closes ) A remarkable young man.
Well presented scheme.
Forward-looking.
And it's certainly very ambitious.
Quite remarkable that he has the nerve to come cap in hand to ask for money to line his own pockets when he owns half the county.
Katrina: With respect, this scheme won't just help the estate.
It'll bring more visitors to the area, which will benefit every business from the petrol station to the news agents.
Are you forgetting there's hardly room to park in the village as it is? We'll end up engulfed by theme park seeking tourists.
But we need more tourists.
We don't need half our annual budget spent creating a Scottish Disneyland.
Well, what'll you spend on then? Naff pottery shops, and shortbread tins.
We'll go to the vote.
All those in favor of rejection? Miss Finlay? No.
I'll not vote.
And I'll bring it up at the full council meeting on Monday.
Miss Finlay might I have a word with you in my office? ( door opens ) Blimey.
You are a regular visitor to Glenbogle House.
I would never allow personal- I have a record here of your voting pattern since you were elected.
What? You argued for the upgrading of the Glenbogle estate road.
Yes, but that was for the benefit- you proposed the installation of a new filter plant on the loch.
We all needed the water.
On the sports committee, you argued- against the chair's advice- that the sum of £200 was awarded for the hill race.
And so on.
I'm proud of my voting record.
I've got nothing to be ashamed of.
Admit it, Miss Finlay.
He has made a stooge of you, and it's there for all to see.
I make my own decisions.
Then listen very carefully to me.
You've got a great future here, Katrina.
It would be a terrible shame to see it blighted by allegations of bias.
So, I will ask you again.
Are you for or against this plan? Archie, I'm sorry.
You didn't even vote for it.
I couldn't do a thing about it.
Well, I can.
You can tell your cronies that I'll be back for the full meeting on Monday.
They're not my cronies.
Don't kid yourself, Katrina.
That's exactly what they are until you stand up to them.
Right.
Ah, Duncan, you're a wonder.
Right.
Let's get that heather burnt up at the north crag.
Something wrong with your wrist, laddie? No, it's just that Fergal said- - you're right, Duncan.
- Ah.
Aye, Fergal.
- Then again- - I haven't quite finished with the boy yet.
So much to do.
Fair is fair, Golly.
I said two hours, you know.
What's so important you have to drag the lad away from real work? I can't build the aviary single-handed.
Aviary.
Give me strength.
Well, I know you prefer taking life, rather than preserving it- I've forgotten more about conservation than you ever learned at your universities- - oh, come on- - okay, Duncan! Let's go.
Golly! I don't want to fight with you.
But Duncan's my deputy, and we got a lot to get done today.
Now, Archie specifically asked us to get this aviary up and running as soon as possible.
That's right enough.
Well, so he did.
So let's rock and roll.
I want to know why you voted against Archie's plan.
- You know why.
- No, I don't know why.
You obviously liked it.
And so did the others.
Why don't you stand up to her? - It's complicated.
- Then explain it to me.
I was left completely isolated there.
What are you all so afraid of? You'd better come inside.
Yes! Yes! Yes! How long did it take us to prepare that presentation, mother? Oh, weeks, darling.
And how long did it take them to reject it? So, you didn't get the grant then? No, but I will.
I will.
Hello, is that the Press and Journal? Yes, I was wondering if you're aware that we have a council committed to destroying local tourism.
Mother, what are you doing? Stopping you making a fool of yourself.
I will get that grant even if it means taking it to the Scottish Parliament.
You could take it to the United Nations, but that committee still wouldn't give you a bean.
Why? Because it's chaired by Edith Rankin.
And what's that to me? I think you'd better speak to your father.
Right.
Father? Have you ever bowled, Miss Finlay? No.
Crown green bowling.
The smell of new-mown grass the click of ebony on ebony I was the president of Glenbogle Bowling Club in its glory year- 1961.
We didn't have a green of our own then, which meant we couldn't join the league.
So we decided to build one.
I found the perfect site.
Two hectares of virgin turf overlooking the loch.
It would've been the best in the highlands.
Edith was against it.
She said the money would pay for an electronic voting system for our chamber.
So I took a stand.
I took her on head to head.
And what happened? She destroyed me.
For the next 15 years, I was in charge of public toilets and litter bins.
Take my word for it.
If you want to stay at council in Glenbogle, you must keep your mouth shut and your ears open.
Father? ( whirring ) Father? Father, are you up there? Father? ( dog whines ) I haven't been in this old place for years.
Splendid, isn't it? My little den.
What do I need to know about Edith Rankin? Your mother wants to turn it into some glorified cupboard, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Edith Rankin.
I think I need some air.
Father.
Oh.
Oh, yes, Edith and I were at primary school together.
She used to come up here in her father's delivery van with the groceries.
She was quite a tomboy.
Very, um, resourceful.
And? Well, we grew up, stayed friends.
Just friends? I'd see her at the odd dance.
Did you no, I most certainly did not! I behaved honorably throughout.
There must be more to it than that.
Well, she may have had a bit of a crush on me.
Anyway, when I was 18 I went off to the army, came back four years later married to your mother.
Edith seemed to take the hump of the whole family.
Never darken my doors again, all that.
She even hissed at me in the street.
Profoundly embarrassing.
When was this? When did you last speak to her? - 1962.
- ( sighs ) Fergal: You all right to finish up here? 'Cause I got to get moving now.
Aye.
Um is this not a bit big for just the one owl? Right.
Do you know what this you have no idea what I'm up to here, do you? No.
Better come with me.
( squawks ) Fergal: From this point here to the north tip of the estate and over to the loch- that's 45,000 acres, right? Duncan: aye.
For too long this land has been a killing ground.
If it moves, stalk it, catch it, shoot it.
Those days are over.
Yeah? With a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work, Glenbogle could be the premier wildlife reserve of Scotland.
We could reintroduce species that have been driven out.
Sea eagles, red squirrels, otters all running wild in their own habitat.
But what about the stalking and the grouse? No.
No, forget that.
I'm talking about the future here, not the past.
But to make it happen I need something.
- What? - Your support.
Me? 100%.
Are you up for it? Am I- you bet! Good on you! Now get that aviary finished.
Hey, Fergal, you forgot your D.
G.
P.
S.
! Keep it.
It's yours! Believe me, Archie, I- I'm truly, truly sorry.
If there's anything I could do, I would.
There is something you can do.
Yes? You can call on Edith Rankin, apologise to her, and get her to back the scheme.
Call on her? You can't ask me to do that.
I can, and you will.
I absolutely will not! Under no circumstances will I approach that desiccated harpy! ( sputtering ) - Come on! - How dare you! I didn't drive through Aden on a Bren gun tank to be treated like this! Get in, mother, maximum security! Oh, no, you don't! Now here's a rosebud.
She'll like that.
( engine starts ) They're terrified of her.
I can't blame them.
She's completely stitched me up.
I was totally useless.
- You're not useless.
- Yes, I am.
Look, you went down in the first round, just count to eight and come up punching.
Golly, I'm so angry.
There's nothing I can do about it.
- yes, there is.
- What? A man once said, don't get mad get even, right? So if she's got files on you, you get a filing cabinet on her.
If she threatens you with public embarrassment, you promise her public humiliation.
That's the way to deal with Rankin.
Right.
Although speaking personally for myself, I don't think he got it quite right.
'Cause what I say is get mad and then get even.
Archie: Father, there's no point in complaining.
All right! Come on.
Outrageous! This is bally abduction, you do realise that! - Molly: Stop that at once! - Father, come on, this way.
- I don't know what to say to her! - I've told you what to say! I was going fishing today! ( arguing ) Ring the bell.
The bell.
( rings doorbell ) ( door opens ) Hello, Edie.
Hello, Biscuit.
Biscuit? Oh! Biscuit.
I just popped over for a chat.
( squawks ) ( squawks ) Aye, Marra, what a fine job it is.
Aye.
Well.
Listen, Golly, I wanted to say sorry- oh, pish, laddie.
It should be me apologising to you.
The lad Fergal, hammering away like that, put you in a put you in a difficult position.
- Well- - no, look, you see, it's just when you get to my age, it's difficult adapting to changes, you know? Especially when you're losing the company of a a really good friend.
Me? Now, look, uh I just- I'd like to give you this, wish you all the best in your- in your new job.
You got that from your father.
Aye.
He got it from his.
Here.
It's beautiful, but I couldn't- who else am I gonna give it to, son? I don't know what to say.
Uh, look, I'd better get on my way.
Heather won't burn by itself.
All right, I'll see you.
Golly! Hang on a minute.
I'll give you a hand.
No, no, I don't- I don't want you- I don't want to put you to any trouble.
Och, away.
An hour won't matter.
Okay.
Grand.
So to what do I owe this pleasure? Still one lump? Oh! Yes, of course.
Uh, ahem! To tell the truth, Edith, it's about my boy.
Archie.
Fine young lad.
Indeed.
We're all very proud of him.
He intends to resubmit his plans for the estate to the full council.
Yes, I heard him- shouting as much in the street.
He's a very passionate young man, Edith.
I can't overstate how important this project is to him.
I mean if this fails, I don't know where we're gonna go.
You remembered! Pardon? The rose of Glenbogle.
From your mother's garden.
Oh, yes, of course! The 13th of August Yes.
The night you left for the army.
And your family held a ball at Glenbogle in honor of you.
Happy days.
We danced the buckles off our shoes! And after the last waltz, you took me out to the garden.
We held hands and looked at the moonlight on the loch, and you swore you'd return.
And, aye, you plucked me a rose as a token as a promise.
And I waited, Hector.
I had offers- but I waited.
Four years.
Four long years.
And then you came back.
Married.
You walked into my father's shop, and do you remember what you said? "Half a pound of beef links.
" Half a pound- of beef links.
You broke my heart, Hector Naismith MacDonald! Oh, come on now.
Steady on.
Not one word! For 40 years! Not one Christmas card! Not one glance in the street! And now you have the barefaced gall to come here pleading for money? Let me tell you, hell will freeze over before one penny piece of council money is spent in the cursed environs of Glenbogle House! ( stammering apologies ) Both: Well? I think the rose was a mistake.
( humming ) ( squawks ) ( glass shattering ) ( squawks ) Golly: Okay, we should have this done by 6:00, and then we'll walk around, Duncan.
I'm up for that, Golly! You know, it's good to be away up here.
I mean, out from the house.
Then there'll be more to do tomorrow, laddie.
Well, you can count me in.
What are you doing up here? He's working with me.
- The owl's escaped! - What? If you're daft enough to keep vermin in cages, what do you expect? The owl's got out and you're gonna find her.
Come on! Is that what you call authority? Shouting at the boy? - What? - bellowing at him.
Do you think that'll make him do what you want? I don't know how you got him up here, but I bet it wasn't his idea! You'd lose your bet, laddie.
Okay then.
All right, let's see, shall we? Duncan.
Duncan, my man what do you want to do? Do you want to stay here and play with fire, or do you want to come with me, and really do something useful with your life? - I - what's it gonna be? Aw, this isn't right! - Duncan? - Duncan! Fergal: Duncan, come back! Lexie.
No, go on.
No, it's okay.
Why do you never see two owls in the rain? 'Cause it's too wet to woo, two wet to woo.
Ha ha! Please yourselves.
( sighs ) ( gate opens ) ( kicks door ) Duncan! ( kicks ) Come on, Duncan! I've got food for you.
The owl might come back.
Okay? Please yourself.
Not a peep out of him.
Poor lad'll starve if he carries on like this.
I hope you two are proud of yourselves.
Molly: Oh, Archie.
Go to your bed.
I can't sleep, mother.
Don't worry about the grant.
Something will turn up.
I wish I had your optimism.
But you've got determination.
If anyone can do it you can.
Don't stay up too late.
Good night, mother.
Archie? Archie, wake up.
- Hi.
- Here, take this.
You're going to need it.
The woman has consistently bullied, pressurised, and subverted every single member of this committee at one time or another.
Look at this.
Alistair's bowling green- rejected.
The post office extension, and look, the new florist conservatory, and the butcher's street display all got the same treatment.
But every single scheme that had her name on it- got passed.
Look at this.
And this, and this.
This is all very interesting, but what good will it do me? They're far too scared of her.
But don't you see? They all must have an ax to grind.
If we can persuade them to pull together, we could get them to overthrow her, and Rankin would lose her power.
All we have to do is nobble the committee before the meeting.
You're becoming devious, Miss Finlay.
No, I'm not.
I'm becoming a politician.
Come on, Duncan! Duncan? Duncan! - ( leaves rustle ) - ( bird flushes ) Dash it.
- ( cat yowls ) - No.
- Lexie: Have you seen Duncan? - Not since last night.
I saw him heading up towards Benbogle.
Right.
We better get after him.
When we find him we'll call you.
- I'm coming with you.
- What happens if he calls here? Would you mind buzzing off? You're in my line of fire.
Come on.
( splashes ) - Bull's-eye! - Ha ha ha! Katrina: We just have to have the courage to stick together.
And the others have agreed? Only on the condition that you vote with us.
They respect you.
Edith will be devastated.
The council's her whole life.
I could never hurt her in that way.
She'd get over it.
What if the motion failed? I've got a lot to lose.
And a lot to gain.
If you stand up to her now, who knows what might happen? Imagine how proud your old mates would be, as you unveiled the Glenbogle Bowling Green.
The smell of newly-mown grass the click of ebony on ebony it's too risky.
Just think about it, Alistair, please.
You could really help us out.
Fergal calling: Duncan! ( echoing ) Duncan! Duncan! ( squawks ) So that concludes all the business of the day.
Katrina: No.
No, it doesn't.
I'd like to propose an appeal to reverse the decision of the tourism committee, on the matter of the Glenbogle Adventure Center.
I understood we had resolved that matter.
Not to my satisfaction.
( murmuring ) Silence! Well, do I hear a seconder? Edith: no? Grand.
Perhaps in the future you won't waste our time with pointless interruptions.
So you can get your way as usual? That's what we're all here for, isn't it? I don't have to justify anything to you, madam.
I have given my life to this council.
There is not one decision we've ever taken that I can't defend.
Katrina: What about the extension to the post office? Too disruptive.
Or the conservatory at the florist's? Too distracting for motorists.
What about the new crown bowling green? Too damn childish.
Time after time, I have been forced to make unpopular decisions, but my judgment has always been proved right.
Even Mr.
Reid has to agree that my analog conferencing network is a damn sight more useful than a silly patch of grass and some overgrown marbles.
Enough! Enough.
How dare you! How dare you dismiss the hopes and dreams of good and decent people? I'll second Miss Finlay's motion, with pleasure! If we don't support our local youngsters we deserve less respect than the dogs in the street! I move to the vote.
The motion is passed.
( cheering, applause ) So what now? Right.
Uh you try over there.
I'll go up here.
I'll go up here.
- The road's easier.
- What? I'll go up here.
That way's easier.
What do you mean? I'm just saying this way's steeper.
You saying I can't manage a wee bitty hill? Let's face it, Golly, you're no spring chicken.
I've just about had it with your smart wee remarks.
Yeah? So what are we gonna do about it? Suppose we settle it here and now? All right.
Duncan: Look at you! You're pathetic! Both of you! The whole place is turning into a midden! And all you can do is fight! You seem to think I'm some sort of village idiot that can be bribed into supporting you! Well, I'm not! Here's your fancy global positioning, and there's your hand-tooled gun! If we can't work together, all of us, then the estate's gonna go belly up, and it's gonna be your fault! I'm away to see Archie.
I've got the owl, Lex.
Would you give me a lift, please? ( door opens ) Come to rub salt in, have you? No, not at all.
Actually we've come to invite you to a celebration.
So that I can be paraded in defeat.
There are no winners or losers here, Edith.
You don't know politics, Katrina.
It's a cruel business.
I want to work with you not against you.
You've got so much to offer.
Please, come with us.
To that house? I could never go back there.
Never.
Miss Rankin, I know how you must feel.
There's no pain like old pain, twisting inside you, buried so deep that nothing or nobody can touch it.
I know.
And we can't change the past, can we? But we can hope for a better future, and try to enjoy the present.
I'd be honored if you'd come to my home and grace us with your presence.
Please.
To the Glenbogle Adventure Center! All: Cheers.
Hector: I knew the lad had it in him.
I told you I had it all under control.
Of course you did, dear.
The heroes return! Anybody wants a sherbet, sherbet's right here.
Help yourselves.
( party chatter ) - Come here.
- Watch it- somebody wants to speak to you.
Oh, for heaven's sake, can't you see I'm engaged in vital war work? In the garden now.
- Oh.
- Go on.
Beer? Sure.
Edie.
Hello, Biscuit.
Edie I'd like to apologise for my behavior all those years ago.
I'm truly, truly sorry.
I haven't seen this view for 40 years.
It's such a waste.
Such a waste.
I- I knew you had feelings for me, and I took fright, I suppose.
That's why I never made contact.
Damn callous of me.
Will you- will you try to forgive me? Yes, Hector.
I will.
Welcome back to Glenbogle.
Come here.
Shall we go in? You were magnificent in there today.
I owe you everything.
No, you don't.
I was just helping out one of my constituents.
Is that all it was? Sorry to be a party pooper, Archie.
You ready? Fergal's taking me out to dinner.
Oh.
Right.
Well well, uh, enjoy yourselves.
We will.
See you later.
Welcome, Edith, welcome.
Thank you.
Music! ( accordion music playing ) Come on.
Come on! Arch, come dance.
Come on! ( dog whimpering ) May I? ( theme music playing )
Toot, toot! Have you told him yet? I would hate to.
Everything's under control, dear.
That's exactly what's worrying me.
Toot! Too Hector.
What? ( Hector imitating chugging ) Molly: You haven't, have you? - What? - Have you? ( imitating P.
A.
) Train now approaching Dunkirk Station, easily one full- - have you? - Molly, please! That train was just going into the station! Well.
There now.
Aren't we the dog's whats-its? Think it'll do? Archie, son in that suit, with that look, you could sell Sunday trading to a kirk full of wee free ministers.
- Your papers.
- Thank you.
- Plans.
- Mother, please! Hold still.
Your father has something to say to you.
Haven't you, Hector? Oh, yes.
Archie, Archie give them hell.
Knock 'em dead! Thanks.
Thanks, everyone.
Well? I told him I'd tell him tomorrow.
( theme music playing ) ( squawks ) She was shot by a gamekeeper awhile ago.
We have to look after her 'cause she can't survive on her own.
- Girl: Are you going to keep her? - only until she's better.
'Cause wild things belong in the wild.
What does she eat, worms? No.
Bigger than worms.
She eats mice- - ( squawks ) - Excuse me, who's giving this lesson, you or me? She eats mice and shrews and little animals like that.
Class: Eww! Student: That's cruel! Well, that's life, I'm afraid.
The strong devour the weak, the old get consumed by the new.
It's called Natural Selection.
Tea.
You've no need to chuck the baby out with the bath water.
Fergal only needs a small patch.
I have to make a proper space for boy wonder.
Archie's orders.
Well, why don't you let me look after it? No, Lexie, just leave it.
I have to clear this space out anyway.
No point in hanging onto things we haven't got a use for, is there? Sorry I'm late, Archie.
I got held up at school.
You do too much for those kids.
It wasn't me.
It was Fergal.
Oh.
He was showing them his owl.
They wouldn't let him leave.
He really is quite something.
I know.
He's a great find.
Katrina: Have you met our chair Edith Rankin? No, I've never had the pleasure.
Well, you're in for a treat then.
The committee goes through all the new grant applications one by one.
You come in and make your pitch, then you leave and we decide, okay? Fine.
Archie, the project is sound.
You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
All right.
( vehicle approaching ) ( vehicle stops ) Fergal: Right, let's get this bird out.
Let's have a look at her, see if she survived the journey.
We'll get her aviary finished and get her a decent flyer.
- Can I hold her? - Of course you can, yeah.
Put on the gauntlet.
Fergal: All yours.
See this, Lexie? Best looking bird on the estate.
Just watch she doesn't mistake you for lunch.
I hear she's partial to a richer palate.
Golly: Duncan, Duncan, you give us a hand, get that place cleaned up.
I'm finishing the aviary with Fergal.
No, that's all right, Duncan, give Golly a hand.
Not gonna take long, is it? Couple of hours I should think.
- Great.
No problem.
- good.
- It's okay, here.
- ( owl squawks ) Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Glenbogle Adventure Centre.
A nature walk through a caledonian pine forest, a cycle ride around the loch, boating, a visit to our wildlife rescue unit, finishing up with a cup of tea at the visitor's center cafe.
- All these things- - Edith: How much? - I'm sorry? - How much do you want? Um, £8,000.
Thank you, Mr.
MacDonald.
That's all for now.
Oh.
Thank you.
Um on a personal note, I have spent the last six months working on this plan for Glenbogle.
It's my- my vision for the future.
This grant will help us create a resource that we can all be proud of for years to come.
It's- it's in your hands.
Thank you, Mr.
MacDonald.
If you'll just wait outside.
Right.
( door closes ) A remarkable young man.
Well presented scheme.
Forward-looking.
And it's certainly very ambitious.
Quite remarkable that he has the nerve to come cap in hand to ask for money to line his own pockets when he owns half the county.
Katrina: With respect, this scheme won't just help the estate.
It'll bring more visitors to the area, which will benefit every business from the petrol station to the news agents.
Are you forgetting there's hardly room to park in the village as it is? We'll end up engulfed by theme park seeking tourists.
But we need more tourists.
We don't need half our annual budget spent creating a Scottish Disneyland.
Well, what'll you spend on then? Naff pottery shops, and shortbread tins.
We'll go to the vote.
All those in favor of rejection? Miss Finlay? No.
I'll not vote.
And I'll bring it up at the full council meeting on Monday.
Miss Finlay might I have a word with you in my office? ( door opens ) Blimey.
You are a regular visitor to Glenbogle House.
I would never allow personal- I have a record here of your voting pattern since you were elected.
What? You argued for the upgrading of the Glenbogle estate road.
Yes, but that was for the benefit- you proposed the installation of a new filter plant on the loch.
We all needed the water.
On the sports committee, you argued- against the chair's advice- that the sum of £200 was awarded for the hill race.
And so on.
I'm proud of my voting record.
I've got nothing to be ashamed of.
Admit it, Miss Finlay.
He has made a stooge of you, and it's there for all to see.
I make my own decisions.
Then listen very carefully to me.
You've got a great future here, Katrina.
It would be a terrible shame to see it blighted by allegations of bias.
So, I will ask you again.
Are you for or against this plan? Archie, I'm sorry.
You didn't even vote for it.
I couldn't do a thing about it.
Well, I can.
You can tell your cronies that I'll be back for the full meeting on Monday.
They're not my cronies.
Don't kid yourself, Katrina.
That's exactly what they are until you stand up to them.
Right.
Ah, Duncan, you're a wonder.
Right.
Let's get that heather burnt up at the north crag.
Something wrong with your wrist, laddie? No, it's just that Fergal said- - you're right, Duncan.
- Ah.
Aye, Fergal.
- Then again- - I haven't quite finished with the boy yet.
So much to do.
Fair is fair, Golly.
I said two hours, you know.
What's so important you have to drag the lad away from real work? I can't build the aviary single-handed.
Aviary.
Give me strength.
Well, I know you prefer taking life, rather than preserving it- I've forgotten more about conservation than you ever learned at your universities- - oh, come on- - okay, Duncan! Let's go.
Golly! I don't want to fight with you.
But Duncan's my deputy, and we got a lot to get done today.
Now, Archie specifically asked us to get this aviary up and running as soon as possible.
That's right enough.
Well, so he did.
So let's rock and roll.
I want to know why you voted against Archie's plan.
- You know why.
- No, I don't know why.
You obviously liked it.
And so did the others.
Why don't you stand up to her? - It's complicated.
- Then explain it to me.
I was left completely isolated there.
What are you all so afraid of? You'd better come inside.
Yes! Yes! Yes! How long did it take us to prepare that presentation, mother? Oh, weeks, darling.
And how long did it take them to reject it? So, you didn't get the grant then? No, but I will.
I will.
Hello, is that the Press and Journal? Yes, I was wondering if you're aware that we have a council committed to destroying local tourism.
Mother, what are you doing? Stopping you making a fool of yourself.
I will get that grant even if it means taking it to the Scottish Parliament.
You could take it to the United Nations, but that committee still wouldn't give you a bean.
Why? Because it's chaired by Edith Rankin.
And what's that to me? I think you'd better speak to your father.
Right.
Father? Have you ever bowled, Miss Finlay? No.
Crown green bowling.
The smell of new-mown grass the click of ebony on ebony I was the president of Glenbogle Bowling Club in its glory year- 1961.
We didn't have a green of our own then, which meant we couldn't join the league.
So we decided to build one.
I found the perfect site.
Two hectares of virgin turf overlooking the loch.
It would've been the best in the highlands.
Edith was against it.
She said the money would pay for an electronic voting system for our chamber.
So I took a stand.
I took her on head to head.
And what happened? She destroyed me.
For the next 15 years, I was in charge of public toilets and litter bins.
Take my word for it.
If you want to stay at council in Glenbogle, you must keep your mouth shut and your ears open.
Father? ( whirring ) Father? Father, are you up there? Father? ( dog whines ) I haven't been in this old place for years.
Splendid, isn't it? My little den.
What do I need to know about Edith Rankin? Your mother wants to turn it into some glorified cupboard, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Edith Rankin.
I think I need some air.
Father.
Oh.
Oh, yes, Edith and I were at primary school together.
She used to come up here in her father's delivery van with the groceries.
She was quite a tomboy.
Very, um, resourceful.
And? Well, we grew up, stayed friends.
Just friends? I'd see her at the odd dance.
Did you no, I most certainly did not! I behaved honorably throughout.
There must be more to it than that.
Well, she may have had a bit of a crush on me.
Anyway, when I was 18 I went off to the army, came back four years later married to your mother.
Edith seemed to take the hump of the whole family.
Never darken my doors again, all that.
She even hissed at me in the street.
Profoundly embarrassing.
When was this? When did you last speak to her? - 1962.
- ( sighs ) Fergal: You all right to finish up here? 'Cause I got to get moving now.
Aye.
Um is this not a bit big for just the one owl? Right.
Do you know what this you have no idea what I'm up to here, do you? No.
Better come with me.
( squawks ) Fergal: From this point here to the north tip of the estate and over to the loch- that's 45,000 acres, right? Duncan: aye.
For too long this land has been a killing ground.
If it moves, stalk it, catch it, shoot it.
Those days are over.
Yeah? With a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work, Glenbogle could be the premier wildlife reserve of Scotland.
We could reintroduce species that have been driven out.
Sea eagles, red squirrels, otters all running wild in their own habitat.
But what about the stalking and the grouse? No.
No, forget that.
I'm talking about the future here, not the past.
But to make it happen I need something.
- What? - Your support.
Me? 100%.
Are you up for it? Am I- you bet! Good on you! Now get that aviary finished.
Hey, Fergal, you forgot your D.
G.
P.
S.
! Keep it.
It's yours! Believe me, Archie, I- I'm truly, truly sorry.
If there's anything I could do, I would.
There is something you can do.
Yes? You can call on Edith Rankin, apologise to her, and get her to back the scheme.
Call on her? You can't ask me to do that.
I can, and you will.
I absolutely will not! Under no circumstances will I approach that desiccated harpy! ( sputtering ) - Come on! - How dare you! I didn't drive through Aden on a Bren gun tank to be treated like this! Get in, mother, maximum security! Oh, no, you don't! Now here's a rosebud.
She'll like that.
( engine starts ) They're terrified of her.
I can't blame them.
She's completely stitched me up.
I was totally useless.
- You're not useless.
- Yes, I am.
Look, you went down in the first round, just count to eight and come up punching.
Golly, I'm so angry.
There's nothing I can do about it.
- yes, there is.
- What? A man once said, don't get mad get even, right? So if she's got files on you, you get a filing cabinet on her.
If she threatens you with public embarrassment, you promise her public humiliation.
That's the way to deal with Rankin.
Right.
Although speaking personally for myself, I don't think he got it quite right.
'Cause what I say is get mad and then get even.
Archie: Father, there's no point in complaining.
All right! Come on.
Outrageous! This is bally abduction, you do realise that! - Molly: Stop that at once! - Father, come on, this way.
- I don't know what to say to her! - I've told you what to say! I was going fishing today! ( arguing ) Ring the bell.
The bell.
( rings doorbell ) ( door opens ) Hello, Edie.
Hello, Biscuit.
Biscuit? Oh! Biscuit.
I just popped over for a chat.
( squawks ) ( squawks ) Aye, Marra, what a fine job it is.
Aye.
Well.
Listen, Golly, I wanted to say sorry- oh, pish, laddie.
It should be me apologising to you.
The lad Fergal, hammering away like that, put you in a put you in a difficult position.
- Well- - no, look, you see, it's just when you get to my age, it's difficult adapting to changes, you know? Especially when you're losing the company of a a really good friend.
Me? Now, look, uh I just- I'd like to give you this, wish you all the best in your- in your new job.
You got that from your father.
Aye.
He got it from his.
Here.
It's beautiful, but I couldn't- who else am I gonna give it to, son? I don't know what to say.
Uh, look, I'd better get on my way.
Heather won't burn by itself.
All right, I'll see you.
Golly! Hang on a minute.
I'll give you a hand.
No, no, I don't- I don't want you- I don't want to put you to any trouble.
Och, away.
An hour won't matter.
Okay.
Grand.
So to what do I owe this pleasure? Still one lump? Oh! Yes, of course.
Uh, ahem! To tell the truth, Edith, it's about my boy.
Archie.
Fine young lad.
Indeed.
We're all very proud of him.
He intends to resubmit his plans for the estate to the full council.
Yes, I heard him- shouting as much in the street.
He's a very passionate young man, Edith.
I can't overstate how important this project is to him.
I mean if this fails, I don't know where we're gonna go.
You remembered! Pardon? The rose of Glenbogle.
From your mother's garden.
Oh, yes, of course! The 13th of August Yes.
The night you left for the army.
And your family held a ball at Glenbogle in honor of you.
Happy days.
We danced the buckles off our shoes! And after the last waltz, you took me out to the garden.
We held hands and looked at the moonlight on the loch, and you swore you'd return.
And, aye, you plucked me a rose as a token as a promise.
And I waited, Hector.
I had offers- but I waited.
Four years.
Four long years.
And then you came back.
Married.
You walked into my father's shop, and do you remember what you said? "Half a pound of beef links.
" Half a pound- of beef links.
You broke my heart, Hector Naismith MacDonald! Oh, come on now.
Steady on.
Not one word! For 40 years! Not one Christmas card! Not one glance in the street! And now you have the barefaced gall to come here pleading for money? Let me tell you, hell will freeze over before one penny piece of council money is spent in the cursed environs of Glenbogle House! ( stammering apologies ) Both: Well? I think the rose was a mistake.
( humming ) ( squawks ) ( glass shattering ) ( squawks ) Golly: Okay, we should have this done by 6:00, and then we'll walk around, Duncan.
I'm up for that, Golly! You know, it's good to be away up here.
I mean, out from the house.
Then there'll be more to do tomorrow, laddie.
Well, you can count me in.
What are you doing up here? He's working with me.
- The owl's escaped! - What? If you're daft enough to keep vermin in cages, what do you expect? The owl's got out and you're gonna find her.
Come on! Is that what you call authority? Shouting at the boy? - What? - bellowing at him.
Do you think that'll make him do what you want? I don't know how you got him up here, but I bet it wasn't his idea! You'd lose your bet, laddie.
Okay then.
All right, let's see, shall we? Duncan.
Duncan, my man what do you want to do? Do you want to stay here and play with fire, or do you want to come with me, and really do something useful with your life? - I - what's it gonna be? Aw, this isn't right! - Duncan? - Duncan! Fergal: Duncan, come back! Lexie.
No, go on.
No, it's okay.
Why do you never see two owls in the rain? 'Cause it's too wet to woo, two wet to woo.
Ha ha! Please yourselves.
( sighs ) ( gate opens ) ( kicks door ) Duncan! ( kicks ) Come on, Duncan! I've got food for you.
The owl might come back.
Okay? Please yourself.
Not a peep out of him.
Poor lad'll starve if he carries on like this.
I hope you two are proud of yourselves.
Molly: Oh, Archie.
Go to your bed.
I can't sleep, mother.
Don't worry about the grant.
Something will turn up.
I wish I had your optimism.
But you've got determination.
If anyone can do it you can.
Don't stay up too late.
Good night, mother.
Archie? Archie, wake up.
- Hi.
- Here, take this.
You're going to need it.
The woman has consistently bullied, pressurised, and subverted every single member of this committee at one time or another.
Look at this.
Alistair's bowling green- rejected.
The post office extension, and look, the new florist conservatory, and the butcher's street display all got the same treatment.
But every single scheme that had her name on it- got passed.
Look at this.
And this, and this.
This is all very interesting, but what good will it do me? They're far too scared of her.
But don't you see? They all must have an ax to grind.
If we can persuade them to pull together, we could get them to overthrow her, and Rankin would lose her power.
All we have to do is nobble the committee before the meeting.
You're becoming devious, Miss Finlay.
No, I'm not.
I'm becoming a politician.
Come on, Duncan! Duncan? Duncan! - ( leaves rustle ) - ( bird flushes ) Dash it.
- ( cat yowls ) - No.
- Lexie: Have you seen Duncan? - Not since last night.
I saw him heading up towards Benbogle.
Right.
We better get after him.
When we find him we'll call you.
- I'm coming with you.
- What happens if he calls here? Would you mind buzzing off? You're in my line of fire.
Come on.
( splashes ) - Bull's-eye! - Ha ha ha! Katrina: We just have to have the courage to stick together.
And the others have agreed? Only on the condition that you vote with us.
They respect you.
Edith will be devastated.
The council's her whole life.
I could never hurt her in that way.
She'd get over it.
What if the motion failed? I've got a lot to lose.
And a lot to gain.
If you stand up to her now, who knows what might happen? Imagine how proud your old mates would be, as you unveiled the Glenbogle Bowling Green.
The smell of newly-mown grass the click of ebony on ebony it's too risky.
Just think about it, Alistair, please.
You could really help us out.
Fergal calling: Duncan! ( echoing ) Duncan! Duncan! ( squawks ) So that concludes all the business of the day.
Katrina: No.
No, it doesn't.
I'd like to propose an appeal to reverse the decision of the tourism committee, on the matter of the Glenbogle Adventure Center.
I understood we had resolved that matter.
Not to my satisfaction.
( murmuring ) Silence! Well, do I hear a seconder? Edith: no? Grand.
Perhaps in the future you won't waste our time with pointless interruptions.
So you can get your way as usual? That's what we're all here for, isn't it? I don't have to justify anything to you, madam.
I have given my life to this council.
There is not one decision we've ever taken that I can't defend.
Katrina: What about the extension to the post office? Too disruptive.
Or the conservatory at the florist's? Too distracting for motorists.
What about the new crown bowling green? Too damn childish.
Time after time, I have been forced to make unpopular decisions, but my judgment has always been proved right.
Even Mr.
Reid has to agree that my analog conferencing network is a damn sight more useful than a silly patch of grass and some overgrown marbles.
Enough! Enough.
How dare you! How dare you dismiss the hopes and dreams of good and decent people? I'll second Miss Finlay's motion, with pleasure! If we don't support our local youngsters we deserve less respect than the dogs in the street! I move to the vote.
The motion is passed.
( cheering, applause ) So what now? Right.
Uh you try over there.
I'll go up here.
I'll go up here.
- The road's easier.
- What? I'll go up here.
That way's easier.
What do you mean? I'm just saying this way's steeper.
You saying I can't manage a wee bitty hill? Let's face it, Golly, you're no spring chicken.
I've just about had it with your smart wee remarks.
Yeah? So what are we gonna do about it? Suppose we settle it here and now? All right.
Duncan: Look at you! You're pathetic! Both of you! The whole place is turning into a midden! And all you can do is fight! You seem to think I'm some sort of village idiot that can be bribed into supporting you! Well, I'm not! Here's your fancy global positioning, and there's your hand-tooled gun! If we can't work together, all of us, then the estate's gonna go belly up, and it's gonna be your fault! I'm away to see Archie.
I've got the owl, Lex.
Would you give me a lift, please? ( door opens ) Come to rub salt in, have you? No, not at all.
Actually we've come to invite you to a celebration.
So that I can be paraded in defeat.
There are no winners or losers here, Edith.
You don't know politics, Katrina.
It's a cruel business.
I want to work with you not against you.
You've got so much to offer.
Please, come with us.
To that house? I could never go back there.
Never.
Miss Rankin, I know how you must feel.
There's no pain like old pain, twisting inside you, buried so deep that nothing or nobody can touch it.
I know.
And we can't change the past, can we? But we can hope for a better future, and try to enjoy the present.
I'd be honored if you'd come to my home and grace us with your presence.
Please.
To the Glenbogle Adventure Center! All: Cheers.
Hector: I knew the lad had it in him.
I told you I had it all under control.
Of course you did, dear.
The heroes return! Anybody wants a sherbet, sherbet's right here.
Help yourselves.
( party chatter ) - Come here.
- Watch it- somebody wants to speak to you.
Oh, for heaven's sake, can't you see I'm engaged in vital war work? In the garden now.
- Oh.
- Go on.
Beer? Sure.
Edie.
Hello, Biscuit.
Edie I'd like to apologise for my behavior all those years ago.
I'm truly, truly sorry.
I haven't seen this view for 40 years.
It's such a waste.
Such a waste.
I- I knew you had feelings for me, and I took fright, I suppose.
That's why I never made contact.
Damn callous of me.
Will you- will you try to forgive me? Yes, Hector.
I will.
Welcome back to Glenbogle.
Come here.
Shall we go in? You were magnificent in there today.
I owe you everything.
No, you don't.
I was just helping out one of my constituents.
Is that all it was? Sorry to be a party pooper, Archie.
You ready? Fergal's taking me out to dinner.
Oh.
Right.
Well well, uh, enjoy yourselves.
We will.
See you later.
Welcome, Edith, welcome.
Thank you.
Music! ( accordion music playing ) Come on.
Come on! Arch, come dance.
Come on! ( dog whimpering ) May I? ( theme music playing )